


Price Of A Sun's Kiss

by Talonticus



Series: The Talon legacy [9]
Category: Star Wars Legends: The Old Republic
Genre: Dialogue Heavy, Drama, F/F, Humor, Multi, Occasional violence, Polyamory, Romance, Sexual Tension, Underworld intrigue
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-04
Updated: 2018-05-31
Packaged: 2019-01-29 08:38:10
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 32
Words: 115,694
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12627192
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Talonticus/pseuds/Talonticus
Summary: In the wake of Darth Margus announcing the creation of the New Empire, tension is stirring in the neutral systems of the galaxy as well.Bery has never really been interested in taking sides, finding it much more profitable to deal with both equally, but there are other elements that try to seize her attention. She thought she had enough Sith in her life with Lenorr, but she never could've predicted just how charming a Dark Councilor can be.





	1. Hound and Tremor

**Author's Note:**

> **Main characters:** Bery Eka'Shodem (Female Twi'lek Smuggler), Lenorr Evintok (Female Sith Pureblood OC), Darth Acina, Risha Drayen, Master Sumalee  
>  **Secondary characters:** Kemmet Vhir (Male Nautolan OC), Nidesa Evintok (Sith Pureblood OC), Jovana Vlasic (Trans-female Human Bounty Hunter)  
>  **Minor characters:** Valcera Nih'etat (Female Mirialan Sith Inquisitor), Darth Vowrawn, Akaavi Spar, Bowdaar, Languss Tuno, Aurosh Evintok (Male Sith Pureblood OC), Sevatan Evintok (Male Sith Pureblood OC), Adrent (Male Rattataki cyborg OC), Shariss Kartur, Cierah Draconius (Female Human Imperial Agent)  
>  **Main relationships:** Bery/Lenorr/Acina, Risha/Sumalee
> 
> _Hey, I'm Claire Talon or Talonticus. And yes, this is mostly a self-indulgent crap fic but...hey, welcome to the Talonverse._
> 
> _This fic is a follow-up to both "Shattered Hyperlanes" and the smuggler's sections of "The precipice of division". It also occurs during the same time as "Silent crack of an empire". Seriously though, a bunch of stuff (like who Lenorr is) won't make sense unless you've read at least SH. Just thought I'd clarify that._   
>  _Yes, I'm aware this is kind of a crazy poly ship, but I've thought about it for months._   
>  _Character profiles, as usual, can be found[on my blog](https://creativebankruptcies.blogspot.com/2018/12/talon-legacy.html). I mean, not for Acina, as she's a canon character but...you know what I mean._   
>  _There are also screenshots of secondary characters that appear in this story[available here](https://creativebankruptcies.blogspot.com/2018/12/secondary-swtor-character-pics.html) (not all, just the Evintok siblings and Ilova)._

For those without a keen eye for business, gang activity, and hutt politics, it might seem like the surface of Nar Shaddaa – or the Smuggler’s Moon – never changes. The hutts keep growing wealthier, the people are continuously exploited, the pollution is constantly present in every corner, and crime is never lowered. Looking at it from that perspective limits one’s understanding for the actual intricacies of events that transpire, and how power keeps changing hands. The preferred element for this switch may come closer to a repetitive pattern, however, as violence still stands at the forefront.

This night, just such an event seems to be closing in, even though a lot of people have no idea how to watch for the clues. The place for where this would occur is an establishment at the lower sections of the moon, close to the bottom – the Sharded Hive cantina.  
To know more, one would have to examine the customers. It’s a rather friendly place, popular in this particular district of the moon. Most of those who arrive are people who are either thirsty, ready to get drunk, wish to party, or have an urge to gamble with a high risk of being conned. However, in amidst this crowd, there is a much more dubious duo of individuals, with long coats hiding dangerous tools. Well, not like other people aren’t just as questionable of course, as many members of gangs and criminal syndicates come here, but these two seem to have a purpose, a goal. 

The female duros and the male chagrian who walk through the front door, immediately start to scan the lower floor of the cantina, with the bar. It’s quite crowded at this time, of course, as a lot of people have gotten off work. Most are drinking and having fun, perhaps playing some pazaak or listening to the music from the various sound-boxes.  
The duo eventually finds what it is they’ve been searching for. By one of the tables, sitting in the middle of a small crowd of gathered people, is a specific person – a Sith pureblood with crimson-colored skin, orange eyes, freckles over her nose, long black hair with the right side of her head being shaved, and a grim expression on her face. She stands out a bit among the others, not only for wearing expensive red and black robes, but because her species is rarely seen on Nar Shaddaa. Most live in the Empire, and even those who leave rarely feel the need to take their chances on some of the worst places in the galaxy.

After pushing themselves through the crowd, they end up not too far from the same table. The duros glances at those around the chairs, presumably some who are discussing business with the Sith, before she pulls her coat open somewhat and reveals a blaster pistol, putting a hand on its handle.  
“Scatter”, she tells them in a sharp tone. 

Everyone else looks up, widen their eyes, and then immediately leave. Just as they expected, the pureblood doesn’t move. Instead, she uncrosses her legs and frowns at them.  
The chagrian raises his hand and points towards her.  
“Are you the one they call the ‘Voidhound’?”

The Sith grips the armrest of her seat, slowly and gradually getting herself on her feet, and then folds her arms. She’s not humongous, but she’s taller than both of these two, and from the shape of the robes, it appears she’s built fairly muscular too.  
That said, she doesn’t respond to them. Instead, they hear a voice from somewhat above them.  
“Heh, nah, that’d be me you’re looking for.”

They see how someone jumps off and drops down from a platform further up the wall, having sat on it, and lands on her feet. She pushes herself up, dusts off her legs, and places her hands at her hips.  
This one looks very different from the other. It’s a twi’lek of average height, with blue skin, black tattoos over her face and lekkus, and a headband on her forehead tied to her ear cones, with the middle glistening in what appears to be gold, but it’s hard to tell. She’s wearing tight black and red pants, white shirt beneath a long black vest, with blaster pistols hanging from her belt. 

Both of the intruders look a little bit surprised.  
“What?”, the chagrian asks skeptically. “A twi’lek with such a famous and feared name?”

That just makes her grin even wider.  
“Yeah, that’s me. I’m the best pilot, fastest gun, and”, she strokes her thumb over her nose, “prettiest face in the galaxy. Few can claim otherwise. You can call me Bery, though. The hot stuff behind me is Lenorr.”

In reaction, Lenorr merely rolls her eyes, as if she’s used to being called something along those lines.  
Neither of the two people look particularly amused, however. The duros frowns and snorts.  
“Well, I dunno about all that, but I’d like to test one of those theories.”  
She puts her hand back at the grip of her blaster.  
“I think you know which.”

Bery glances down at the weapon, her expression changing, being replaced by a smirk. However, she spots something else to the side, noting how Lenorr has clenched her fist, most likely being ready to protect the twi’lek. Bery raises a hand to stop her.  
“Don’t worry, babe, leave this one to me. They need to see what it means to deal with…ugh, the ‘Voidhound’.”

This does not satisfy Lenorr, but she snorts and leans against the table.  
“Very well, but I will be watching.”

Bery’s eyes return to the duros, her right hand being placed at the top of her gun. Both of them take steps to the side, separating themselves from their partners. Around the cantina, other people seem to realize what’s going on, and they go quiet, not wanting to interfere. Not everyone is as used to this kind of thing, but they do realize what will happen if they get in between.  
Once they’re at a good distance, the two duelists stop and stare at each other. The tension grows quickly, as brown eyes meet red ones. Seconds pass by, the grip on their gun handles tightening, and while neither of the two seem to sweat, many of the other denizens do, probably out of fear that they might end up as collateral damage. 

Both gunslingers throw their pistol up around the same time, but while the duros immediately tries to take aim, Bery uses her reflexes. She takes another step to the side and just barely avoids the blaster shot, making it hit the wall behind her. The duros somewhat loses her focus due to this choice, giving Bery the upper hand. She lifts her weapon and doesn’t even need to aim much before she fires. As the duros made no attempt to evade, she gets hit right across the neck and falls backwards.

Unfortunately, the fight isn’t over, something Bery already knew. Behind another table nearby, a human raises a rifle and tries to take aim at the twi’lek, but Bery draws her other pistol, putting two shots into the chest of her enemy, who drops down against the sofa they were sitting on, the gun falling out of their hands.  
The third enemy is hiding in a corner, rising from behind some of the other denizens and tries to utilize a longer range, but it’s futile. Bery ducks and rolls, jumps up, and fires off four more shots, two of which hits her enemy and drops this one too.

The chagrian had been standing outside the combat zone, but now grits his teeth, ready to avenge his colleague. He puts his hand at a vibroblade in his belt and strides forward, but he gets no further than a few steps before he’s interrupted. It’s hard for him to tell, but it’s Lenorr’s elbow to the back of his head that knocks him out cold. 

One final enemy attempts to sneak up on Bery, which interestingly enough is quite a large one. A gamorrean suddenly comes leaping out from behind a sofa in the room, grunting and growling as he ambushes her, obviously having waited until the right moment. Well, at least what he expected to be the appropriate moment.  
While Bery may not have noticed this in time, Lenorr certainly does. The large creature hasn’t even left the air yet when she seizes his throat with the Force, lifts him up, and grits her teeth. The gamorrean lifts his hands to his neck, as pained grunts and choking noises leaves his mouth.

“I thought the Captain told us all to stay out of it. Perhaps you need to be taught a lesson”, she says with barely contained rage in her voice.

She utilizes her strength to fling him across the room, knocking him right into a different wall, which sends small vibrations throughout the room. Once he tumbles to the floor, she strides closer with confident steps and clenches her fist even tighter. The movement is followed by the uncomfortable feeling for the gamorrean of being choked, slowly and painfully. If anyone had any doubts what Lenorr’s priorities are, or what one should never do, they have now become very aware what will ignite her anger.

The gamorrean does have cause to thank Bery, however, as she is the one to stop this act. She raises her hand and places it on Lenorr’s forearm, to get the Sith’s attention.  
“Alright, that’s enough. Don’t need to watch him being squeezed into a pile of bloody paste; that’s just creepy. Pretty sure we’ve done enough reputation-building shenanigans for today.”

Lenorr exhales and releases her enemy, before she turns to look at Bery, her eyes having softened.  
“You’re far too reckless in situations like these, Bery. It worries me.”

Despite the disapproval, Bery merely grins.  
“I love it when you get protective, babe. It’s a good look on you.”

Without asking, she raises a hand up to Lenorr’s collar and seizes it. She pulls the other woman down, placing the free hand at Lenorr’s cheek to caress it, and kisses her deeply. Their lips collide fiercely, which is something specifically instigated by Bery, but the Sith can’t really help reciprocating it. A small part of her may feel that she’s just enabling Bery to continue doing this kind of crap, by helping her out, but what else can she do? Lenorr would go to any lengths for this woman.

Around the same time, some people in the room start to cheer over the display, while others are all too afraid, taking the opportunity to flee when things have calmed down.  
From behind the counter, a medium brown-skinned human man with a thick black beard stands up, holding a rifle lazily in his hands, having been ready for a fight if need be. For now, he looks annoyedly across the room.  
“Bery! Haven’t I told you not to make a mess in my place?”

After ending the kiss, Bery laughs.  
“Sorry about that, Hendrick! It wasn’t _technically_ my fault this time, though, right? I mean, you saw it! They shot first!”

“Yeah, the first shot, and then the next ten were yours! And not your fault? You and me both know you come here just to lure these bastards out!”

“Well, what can I say? Everybody wants me.”

“I sure don’t! I wish you’d leave my bar alone.”

His words make her arch her eyebrow in amusement and push her hands into her pockets.  
“Is that so? Think you’re being a bit too hasty, my friend.”  
She lifts out a credit chip then and tosses it over the cantina. He raises his hand just in time to catch it, and while it doesn’t need to be said, they both know it holds quite a substantial sum for a simple night out.  
“Should cover the costs. Keep the change.”

Hendrick takes a deep breath and then shifts the hand to rub his temples once he exhales.  
“If you weren’t paying so well, I would’ve chased you out long ago.”

Seemingly done with what she needed to do, Bery smiles at Lenorr and nudges her head towards the exit.  
“Let’s get out of here.”

“Finally”, Lenorr responds.

As they wander out through the half-terrified, half-chaotic cantina, the two women hold hands, confident in the knowledge now that no one else would dare to mess with them for the time being. Not only is it clear that Bery is a dangerous woman with the skills to gun down any of her enemies, she has a Sith by her side, both as a lover and a bodyguard. There’s pretty much no other boss in the underworld that can actually say the same.

Once they’re outside, several more people recognize the Captain, and greet her in passing. She either waves at them or make finger guns to mess around, reveling in the fame. She is known in these parts from an earlier life, but after her victory against the Voidwolf, it’s like all of Nar Shaddaa has woken up to her name. She could hang around in the upper districts, attending hutt parties, but she has never been into that sort of stuff. This is where she belongs.

While this happens, Lenorr merely shakes her head.  
“You know, Risha isn’t going to be happy about this.”

Bery arches her brow and glances up at her girlfriend.  
“Tsk, you afraid?”

“No, I’m just stating facts. She won’t be.”

“Meh, whatever. How would she find out about it anyway?”  
Almost at the exact same second, her comm unit starts to ring, and when she checks the frequency, she smiles. Well, what do you know? It’s the same human. Bery doesn’t hesitate, and answers the call.  
“Hey, Drayen. We were just talking about you.”

The small holographic symbol of a beige-skinned human with brown hair, Risha Drayen, the woman who has been a partner, friend, and assistant to Bery for a few years now, appears and tilts her head skeptically at the greeting.  
“It’s never a good thing when you choose to talk about me in public.”

“It was just with Lenorr, I swear!”

“Is that so?”  
She chooses to turn her gaze towards Lenorr, not fully trusting Bery’s words.  
“Is she telling the truth? Where are you right now?”

The Sith raises a hand and points with the thumb behind her.  
“We just left the Sharded Hive. Currently, we’re en route to the nearest speeder taxi. We are…technically not accompanied by anyone, but it’s still fairly public.”

If she was doubtful before, this doesn’t cease once she hears the name.  
“The Sharded Hive. Shodem, can I take it as a certainty that you’ve been making a big mess in there?”

Bery rolls her eyes.  
“Oh c’mon. Why do people always assume the worst about me?”

“I don’t assume, Bery, I _know_. Don’t lie to me.  
I hope you at least haven’t wasted too much of our credits.”

The tone she speaks with is not one that most in the underworld would use with their boss, but the relationship between Bery and Risha is very different.  
“Uh, well, technically, it is my company, you know.”

“ _Our_ company, Shodem. Not gonna let you forget that me and Lenorr do most of the administration.”

Bery smiles and shrugs.  
“I haven’t forgotten, but I’m still in charge!”

“Debatable.”

Lenorr decides to intervene in this particular discussion.  
“Don’t worry, I spoke to some contacts while we were in there as well. They’re ready to transfer the next batch of resources as soon as possible. I’ll do the necessary calculations later.”

“I know you will. While I sincerely doubt our ‘illustrious’ Captain, I trust your judgement at least.”

Bery sighs.  
“You two are assholes.  
Anyway, why did you call, Risha? I assume you didn’t just wanna say hi.”

The mood of the conversation immediately descends into a more solemn category as Risha furrows her brow.  
“No, I have news. I believe it’s important, but I’m not sure yet.  
Something is going on in imperial space. I don’t know exactly what, but Darth Imperius contacted me and asked to get an urgent meeting.”

Bery and Lenorr both looks fairly surprised.  
“Urgent?”, Bery asks. “Huh. Okay, that’s not something I’d expect from her.”

“Me neither, to be honest. While we’ve maintained our connection with her, she usually doesn’t wish to depend too heavily on us. That seems to have changed now, for some reason.  
It probably has something to do with the fact that our contacts from the Empire went temporarily dark not too long ago, including ones on Dromund Kaas.”

While this may be somewhat startling for the Captain, Lenorr widens her eyes in shock.  
“Dromund Kaas?”, the Sith repeats. “Do…do you have any details? Has communication been reestablished?”

Risha shakes her head.  
“No details, sorry, but yes, most of them are back now, but not all.  
Apparently, something went down on that world, some kind of attack or accident…or something. It was dealt with after several hours, but it did knock out a lot of their stuff, including some comm buoys.  
Imperius is pretty adamant about that we come over to help them deal with some critical elements.”

Knowing how important this is for her girlfriend, Bery doesn’t hesitate and nods sharply.  
“Well, we’re ready for it. The Hypertrail is at the spaceport, so we’ll leave right away. You coming with us?”

Risha briefly exhales.  
“No, I can’t, not right now. I have some business to deal with on Port Zodric. Someone has to organize the chaos we’ve got on our hands.  
I hope I can trust you to deal with this one job, at least.”

The question is unnecessary, as she is more than aware that Bery can, but won’t admit it without a little friendly teasing. It makes the Captain smirk.  
“Tsk, why do you even ask?”

“Just don’t make a mess over there, will you?”

“Yes, yes, mother, I promise I won’t.” 

Her words make Risha grimace.  
“…please don’t call me that. It’s creepy. You’re older than me.”

“Doesn’t always feel like it.”


	2. Among desperation

Bery and Lenorr aren’t quite sure what they expected when they arrived at Dromund Kaas. Well, they knew the planet would be there, obviously, but not in what state. Shattered into a million pieces, perhaps? They might not have been too far away from the truth.  
While it couldn’t always be seen through the windows, the Hypertrial’s scanners picked up a lot of debris in orbit around the planet, supposedly from destroyed vessels, most of it still being salvaged. There was definitely some kind of battle here, but it’s hard to tell who was involved. Once they flew down to the surface, close to Kaas City, they left the ship with their only other crew present member, Bowdaar.

To Lenorr’s relief, at least Kaas City seems to have been spared from most of the damage. That’s not to say that it’s bereft of chaos though, of course. A lot of people are on the streets, and even more are trying to get in through the gates, having fled from other cities and towns in the nearby sections of the continent. To find refugees not only on Dromund Kaas, but from the planet itself, is highly unusual, virtually impossible in some people’s minds. And yet, here they are.

The situation is no better in the Imperial Citadel. Not only does it feel like its overflowing with personnel, more than can actually fit in here, but everyone is also in a hurry. Several don’t even care about the duo walking nearby, simply running into them. If it wasn’t for Lenorr occasionally shielding her, Bery isn’t sure if she could’ve avoided being trampled. She kind of wants to call people out on it, but she will agree that she’s overwhelmed too.

Eventually, they arrive outside the office of Darth Imperius, or Valcera, in charge of the Ancient Knowledge section of the Dark Council. The moss green mirialan has her black hair tied up in its usual bun, wearing a weird combination of robes and armor in red, black and white colors. It appears she may have incorporated what her title means across her clothes as well.  
Bery still finds it a bit amusing that Val is shorter than her, not only because she’s finally not on the bottom, but also due to the fact that someone who wouldn’t seem to be all that intimidating is one of the most dangerous people in the galaxy. Bery respects that she takes no shit from anyone else, as the Captain has a similar philosophy. Well, it helps that she’s pretty hot too.

Currently, Val is talking to another woman, a dark brown-skinned human with black hair in a bob cut, wearing a dark grey imperial uniform, who’s sitting behind a desk. It's Francine, Val's assistant, who Bery has met a couple of times. She usually communicates with Risha, and she’s very cute too.  
They could wait, but Bery has never been the type of person to just stand around.  
“And there she is, my favorite Dark Councilor. Guess it’s not a difficult choice, though, since the rest are assholes.”

Lenorr rolls her eyes.  
“Bery…”

Val simply turns around, folds her arms, and smirks.  
“And if it isn’t my favorite scoundrel and her lovely bodyguard. Good to see you, Captain. And you too, of course, lady Evintok.”

Lenorr briefly bows her head in respect.  
“It’s always a pleasure and an honor, my lord.”

At this point, it would probably be correct protocol for Bery to show the same kind of respect, but none of them actually expect that.  
“Honor is not really my thing, but it’s good to be here. You haven’t redecorated the office again, have you?”

Val snorts amusedly and shakes her head.  
“I have not; not yet, at least. We will see if that changes, depending on the situation.  
First of all, I’d like to say how glad I am that you could both come in person, but I obviously have to apologize for the need of it. I understand that you likely have much business of your own to attend to, but these days, I find it difficult to trust comm units, until we have established better network security. I wouldn’t have been sure of what people might have monitored our messages, especially after all the chaos during the last few days.”

Seeing how she’s getting more serious, the other two chooses to mirror that.  
“Yeah, about that”, Bery starts, “we’ve probably been out of the loop lately, so we’re not really sure what the hell is going on.”

The Councilor inclines her head and slowly turns to her assistant.  
“Yes, I know, and I do intend to explain it, but we shall have to relocate first.  
Francine, have you received any messages from our guests? Have they arrived?”

Francine observes the terminal screen in front of her and nods curtly.  
“Yes, my lord, both of them just recently reported in. Shall I send them the instructions?”

“Please do, and tell them to station their guards outside.”

“Of course.”

Val then gestures for Lenorr and Bery to follow her, as they wander through the corridors of the department.  
“Uh, guests?”, Bery asks.

“You’ll see”, is all they receive in return.

All three of them sit down inside of a small meeting room, being free to grab cups of tea while they wait. Fortunately, it takes no more than a few minutes for the others to arrive, where two more individuals enter.  
One of them is a pureblood like Lenorr, but shorter. He has dark brown hair, red eyes and skin, pointed tendrils from several places - including his eyebrows - and ones shaped to form a sort of beard with a long moustache. All of his golden ornamental piercings are focused around his nose, except for two metal pieces surrounding his moustache.  
The other person is a woman, a human, with fair skin, brown hair in a bun, similar but not quite the same as Val’s, and orange eyes. She wears some cosmetics on her face, mostly lipstick, eyeshadow and eyeliner, all of it in dark colors. This person is a little taller than both Val and Bery as well.  
Both of these two are also dressed in similar outfits of robes and armor like Val, with the human wearing slightly more of the plated pieces than the pureblood.

As soon as they walk inside, Lenorr looks at the man in surprise.  
“Darth Vowrawn?”

The older pureblood smiles widely at her.  
“Ahh, there you are, Lenorr! I cannot appropriately describe how good it is to see you again, my dear. It has been far too long.”

He offers no more than a hand to her, but by the look on his face and the handshake she receives, it would appear he probably wishes he could hug her instead. Perhaps that’s not suitable to do in front of his colleagues.  
“I can assure you that it’s mutual, my lord”, she says in an even tone, but her expression has softened.

Bery arches her brow and folds her arms.  
“Hmm, why do I recognize that name?”

Lenorr turns to face her girlfriend.  
“Bery, don’t pretend you don’t know him. This is my old superior, before I…unfortunately had to leave the Empire behind.”

“Ooh, right, right. Yeah, totally remembered.”

Vowrawn inclines his head.  
“Indeed, you did, and I still have not forgotten this act.”

It’s not always easy to interpret the purpose behind his words, as Vowrawn is very used to playing sessions of mind games with his fellow Sith, as to not be outmaneuvered. This is why Lenorr hesitates and gazes down at the ground.  
“I…apologize for my actions back then, my lord. I should clearly have consulted you more.”

If it was previously uncertain, such thoughts evaporate when Vowrawn laughs it off and pats her shoulder.  
“There is no need for such things between us, as there is no harm. You followed your heart, went with your passions, as any true Sith should. I applaud your choices, as they have been highly amusing to follow. And let’s not forget, you still do good things for the Empire, after convincing your companion here to work with us. Some might say you’re an even better asset now.”

Val clears her throat.  
“Let’s not forget who made sure to recruit the aid of these two for the Empire either.”

That makes Vowrawn chuckle.  
“And who said we forgot? I would never ignore all the things you do to benefit our great nation, dear Imperius.”

She folds her arms and smirks at him.  
“Mhm, I’m sure you wouldn’t.”

Shortly after, Vowrawn looks at Lenorr again, seeming somewhat more solemn.  
“I spoke to your parents recently, and heard that they went through some rather hectic events in the not-too-distant past. It seems you were involved in them.”

Lenorr’s gaze drifts away from his and she squirms a little, looking mildly uncomfortable.  
“That’s uh, true, yes. I was the focal point, I suppose, but it was not without motive. Most of it was due to personal reasons, though.”

“Yes, I’ve heard as much. I believe a certain twi’lek may have been among the root causes too”, he says, while shifting his gaze towards the Captain. “In fact, I believe your name has been mentioned in multiple incidents of different caliber.”

If he expected the same deference from Bery, he will have to be disappointed, as she simply smirks and places her hands at her hips.  
“Yup, that’s me, and I’m not ashamed of a single damn thing. And you know what? I know I stole your best Sith, and I’m not sorry about that either! Lenorr has been great to me and my crew, more than I ever anticipated. Probably the best thing that’s happened to me in years.”

Vowrawn merely seems amused by her attitude, shaking his head.  
“I can see why you have succeed so well in the harsher districts of the galaxy, Captain. Few people would show such attitude in the company of three Dark Councilors. I respect your honesty and determination. I also hope you will continue to act in the same sense you have thus far, perhaps with increased trade to the Empire.”

“We’ll see, I guess. Anything can happen, right?”  
She then redirects her eyes towards the only human in here.  
“So, gotta ask, who’s the pretty one?”

Interestingly, this woman smiles in return, while Val rolls her eyes.  
“Keep your trousers on, Captain. I think you flirt with enough imperials already.”

The human tries to remain calm but can’t prevent herself from chuckling, before she takes a few steps forward and offers her hand to Bery.  
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Captain. I am Darth Acina, a fairly new member to the Dark Council. I only joined a few months ago. I am the current head of the Sphere of Technology.”

Bery takes her hand, feeling that the shake isn’t all too firm, and how she also has rather rough hands. A Sith who’s involved in a lot of physical work?  
“Heh, sounds kinda interesting, and fancy too, like all you Councilors.”

“We do like our titles.”

“Acina and I have been working quite a lot together, since before she even joined”, Val admits. “We get along very well and we both see the need to cooperate rather than constantly quarrel, especially with recent events. Acina is very pragmatic, which is of course a bonus.”  
She stops momentarily to snort as she gazes at Bery.  
“Although, it’s a little bit funny that I have to explain this to you. I would’ve expected someone like you to know this already. You aren’t just my ally, but one of the top players in the current underworld sections of the galaxy, yes?”

Bery merely waves it off.  
“Bah, whatever. Guess you’ve got a point, but I usually leave that kind of info to Risha instead. She knows more what to do with it.”

“Why am I not surprised? Miss Drayen is certainly capable enough, though. Not sure you deserve her. Still, I am glad you came here personally.”

Acina nods in agreement.  
“As am I. It’s very interesting to meet someone who has experienced so much of the galaxy outside the Empire.”

Bery decides to meet her gaze for a moment, wondering if Acina would actually like to hear stories. Probably best to wait and see what sort of interest she shows, though.  
Val continues their conversation anyhow.  
“So, are either of you aware of the current situation here?”

Both the Captain and Lenorr shake their heads.  
“Nope, we’re not”, Bery confesses, “but we’re definitely interested. Risha told us some crazy shit and said Dromund Kaas took a real beating.”

“Indeed, and you can blame Malgus for that, after he started his little ‘revolution’ or whatever he prefers to call it.”

Lenorr and Bery immediately turn to each other, neither of them seeming to understand.  
“Erm, revolution?”, the Sith asks. “You may have to elaborate on that, my lord.”

Interestingly enough, the Councilors seem equally surprised by their reaction, as if it should have been obvious.  
“Wait, you haven’t even heard of this event?”, Val asks. “I was sure it would’ve spread across the galaxy by now.”

Bery shrugs.  
“Uh, maybe, but like I said earlier, we’ve kinda been out of the loop, to be honest. I’ve had a lot of old rivals on Nar Shaddaa we had to deal with. We kept communication to the outside to a minimum. The rest of the galaxy rarely matters to anyone over there, anyway.”

It’s Vowrawn who mostly nods in recognition.  
“You make a good point, Captain. The hutts mostly favor themselves, but in this particular occasion, it would have been quite prudent of them to have told their worlds too.  
At any rate, no more than a week ago, Darth Malgus staged a secession from our Empire, by creating his own, one he now calls the ‘New Empire’.”

Wow. Sweeping political instability during the time that they were roaming in the slums. Who knew that could go by so quietly? Well, perhaps not to the people on this world.  
Lenorr looks shocked as she considers this notion.  
“The New-…but, was he not a member of the Dark Council?”

Acina nods gravely.  
“He was, in charge of Military Offense, no less. We never expected he would turn that offense back on his own people, though.”

Val sighs heavily.  
“Due to his absolutely mind-numbingly stupid actions, many have deserted from their posts and left to follow his path. More people flock to his banner as we speak.  
There’s imperial soldiers, fleets, Sith, mandalorians, hutts, even some Republic soldiers wishing to join him and find glory, or whatever delusion he offers them.”

“Holy shit”, Bery states plainly, but she seems too overwhelmed to explode. “That’s crazy. Hutts and mandalorians too? I mean, just…fuck.”

Acina smiles, but only faintly.  
“Quite. And yes, it is just as bizarre to all of us. Not just due to everything he managed to prepare, but also because he can’t really expect to win this, not alone. Separately, either the Empire or the Republic still outnumber him. We don’t really know what his plans are.”

“Perhaps”, says Vowrawn, “but we cannot disregard the allies he has recruited thus far. There are at least three Councilors who have all chosen to desert and join him as well – Decimus, Zhorrid, and Rictus. The possibility of success for him is not as ludicrous as it may seem, if he plays this correctly.”

Vowrawn almost sounds impressed, which is a little bit weird under the circumstances, but the other Sith, including Lenorr, knows that he definitely doesn’t agree with Malgus, but that he respects clever political maneuvers. It’s difficult to say if this was clever or not yet, though.  
“So, where is he now?”, Bery asks.

Val shrugs briefly.  
“We don’t know, not yet. There’s a lot of scouts and other troops currently trying to locate him, but we have not yet been able to determine his exact location. Fortunately, that does not really matter in this particular meeting, as it’s not why we called you here.”  
She takes a deep breath, shortly before emitting it in a heavy manner. She looks tired.  
“I’m not quite certain how to express this accurately, and I do feel bad about it, but we have to ask you for aid. We need it.”

“Aid? From us?”

Vowrawn takes over this section, as he is probably more suited for it.  
“Yes. Your company is quickly growing into one of biggest independent shipping and transportation organizations, which still does business with the Empire. We require more ships and pilots able to help us transfer a lot of goods both from within and outside of our borders. We’re currently trying to buy new resources from certain outside sources, but we are low on manpower.”

Bery raises a hand to stroke her chin in thought.  
“You don’t have enough of your own?”

“We do have a lot of citizens ready to do their duty, but sadly, both schedules and personnel are limited, especially due to the military requiring much of it at this time. I have to make do with what I’m offered, which means we have little choice but reach out to those we deem capable.”

The fact that three Dark Councilors are all gathered in one room to tell them this should at least prove how dire the situation is. They must have known some of this beforehand though, right? Bery wonders how long it has been on the edge of collapse. This incident must’ve made it real.  
“Seems like a reasonable choice.”

Val puts her hands on the table, leaning forward slightly as she glances between the two women.  
“Captain Shodem, miss Evintok, you and your company have proven to be valuable allies, and ones with quite a bit of influence in places where the Empire can’t go. Personally, I don’t enjoy trying to attain even more of your cooperation than we already have, as I would prefer to let you be neutral, but I have to be honest with our situation; we are getting desperate.”

In other scenarios, Lenorr and Bery would probably have preferred to have a few minutes to discuss this, perhaps even a few days, but they both already know what they want.  
The Sith slips her arms behind her own back.  
“Well, I can tell you now that I certainly would not mind increasing our workload with your shipments, my lord. I always believe we should stand ready to aid the Empire.”

Bery clears her throat.  
“Yeah, but I’m in charge of this company, so I think my decisions weigh a little heavier.”  
Lenorr shifts her gaze towards her girlfriend, looking unsure. She may be Sith, but she knows it isn’t her place to make choices for anyone, especially not Bery. However, those pleading eyes certainly have an effect on Bery.  
“But…she has a point. We can definitely make this happen, as long as the Empire is ready to pay.”

Vowrawn inclines his head in agreement once more.  
“We can, of course, although credits may not flow at an enormous rate, which is why we hope you are prepared to make some compromises. Perhaps we can come to some sort of arrangement with regular payments?”

At first, she nods, but that’s only before a small smirk reappears on her lips.  
“Yeah, that would be nice. If money gets tight, though, I wouldn’t mind if you guys owe us a few favors in the future. Just a thought.”

He chuckles in return.  
“Somehow, I feel it would be unwise to owe the woman who destroyed the Voidwolf anything, but I suppose we do not have much choice.”

As soon as they’re done, Val gestures at her colleagues.  
“It is Vowrawn who will need most of the resource allocation for various purposes, but you will be working with Acina as well. In fact, she had some sensitive subjects she wished to discuss.”

“Indeed”, Acina agrees. “My Sphere deals with most of the technological and scientific developments in the Empire, along with maintenance and power distribution. There are a couple of specific shipments which I would be glad to discuss the details of with you.  
In fact, perhaps we can go and take these matters into my office right away? I may be able to provide you with more refreshments while we’re there.”

Bery grins at her.  
“Really? Now that’s what I like to hear. Don’t think I’ve ever had a drink from a Dark Councilor’s secret stash before.”

Acina raises an amused eyebrow in return.  
“Calling it ‘secret’ may not be entirely accurate. I feel no need to hide such things.”

“Ah c’mon, can’t trick me. Bet you’ve got the most expensive stuff hidden away in some underground lair.”

In the meantime, Vowrawn looks towards the other pureblood.  
“Lenorr, I assume you still handle the accounting for them? Call my frequency later and we can discuss some of the numbers.”

Lenorr briefly bows her head in respect.  
“Of course, my lord. I will be glad to collaborate with you once more.”

They then see how Acina walks towards the door, gesturing to two of the women in the room.  
“Come, follow me. I shall take you to my section of the Citadel.”

It appears she has managed to make Bery kinda excited at least, who grabs Lenorr’s hand.  
“C’mon, babe, let’s see if this chick is as smooth as she pretends to be.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _Yeah, my Acina is a little bit more laid-back than the version we see in-game, but I keep her pragmatic and decisive spirit intact. Besides, she's not really the Empress here yet._   
>  _It may have started a bit more flirty than with Bery/Lenorr, but I didn't intend to just replicate that experience. Would be kinda boring; Acina is a different person, after all. It'll take a little while before it actually gets more serious, though._


	3. Empire's courtesy

The Imperial Citadel is quite a big place with lots of different compartments, facilities, and offices. Between the separate Spheres, things never look exactly the same, even if some color schemes often tend to be reused. This is something which Lenorr already knew, but that Bery is now finding out as they’re following their Dark Councilor escort, Darth Acina.  
Once they enter the territory of the Sphere of Technology, things change quite dramatically. Sure, there’s still office spaces, terminals, and lots of personnel, but there’s also large open areas for workshops, testing rooms, and all sorts of loud mechanical operating noise from a variety of tools and machines.

As they take their first steps into this place, Acina smiles, spreads her arms and looks over her shoulder at them.  
“Welcome to my domain.”

Lenorr nods appreciatively, while Bery slowly whistles.  
“Wow. You’ve got a lot of fancy stuff in here, huh?”, the twi’lek comments.

“Well, as the leader of the Technology Sphere, I have all sorts of people under my command – engineers, technicians, mechanics, scientists and more. My role is designed to oversee those who seek to advance the Empire in every conceivable way on a technological and scientific front, which, as you can probably imagine, is not always easy to coordinate.”  
She gazes at some of the nearby people and the items they’re working on, as the trio walks past.  
“I haven’t been in this particular facility for about a week now, as the New Empire’s rise forces me to travel to different installations around the Sith Empire and I’m not even halfway done. I still have all manner of buildings, projects, stations and more to inspect before it’s fully over.  
This is an unfortunate reality for most loyal Councilors in our current state, which is why Darth Imperius has pretty much been left in charge of Dromund Kaas.”

Her attitude is understandably somewhat gloomy during her explanation, but Bery still smiles and looks around the area with a fairly interested gaze.  
“Yeah, that sucks, I guess, but your whole place is still pretty cool, to be honest. You must get a lot of credits to afford all this.”

Acina inclines her head.  
“Naturally, but I must regretfully admit that it is not as much as I would prefer. The budget for the military is still considerably larger than ours, and even most of our development is focused on aiding warfare. I will not pretend that I don’t enjoy my work, but it is not always easy. I am forced to make sacrifices to certain degrees when it comes to advances on other fields.  
I am not a warmonger, and I believe the brilliance in this Sphere can be utilized on more areas than the battlefield, but I understand there is not much of an option.”

Along the way, Lenorr and Bery notices how the personnel here do not act quite like people usually do around Sith. Even if most obviously treat Acina with respect, many also greet her in friendly ways, sometimes even casually, which the Councilor do not seem to mind. To the duo, it feels similar to the way Valcera treats her subordinates too. In Bery’s mind, this just gains more approval.  
“Hey, if you’re a new Councilor, how come so many people around here seem to know you already?”

Acina looks over her shoulder again and offers the Captain a smile.  
“I may be new to the position, but not the Sphere. I have been a member of this department for years, and most of the personnel know me quite well. We worked together in the past.  
Personally, I have never really been interested in gaining a seat on the Council at all, but others made the decision for me.”

Lenorr seems confused by that notion.  
“How so? Unless the Emperor ordered you, I do believe one must step forward in order to be given the honor, no?”

“Not quite. My focus has always been on working to refine my craft and increasing my knowledge in the fields where I am most capable. I would still be doing such tasks if it was not for the seat I gained.  
Unfortunately, after Darth Hadra's death, there was a certain vacuum in the scenery of power within the Sphere, and many started to bicker and argue. Some were killed in these events, of course, but once the dust settled, most noticed that I had stayed out of it, except when being forced to defend myself from attacks. To my surprise, instead of continuing to squabble, most of the Sphere – especially the non-Sith personnel – united behind my name as a nominee.”

The tone she utilizes here does not sound proud either, only skeptical, like those events do not please her.  
“Uh, okay. But that’s a good thing, right?”, Bery asks.

Acina folds her arms.  
“For the career of a Sith, yes, but it was not what I wanted. For quite some time, I fought the very idea of it, but eventually, there were almost no one else who had any support. At that point, it was either let more fighting continue or take the responsibility. I gave in. If someone else had taken over, there would likely have been even more schism, and I realized we did not have time for that.”

Bery starts to smirk.  
“Gave up on your passions, huh? I didn’t think any Sith would ever do that.”

“Well, I think your choice was admirable and impressive, my lord”, Lenorr comments.

Acina sighs.  
“I despise politics…but if I do not get involved, then we will not be able to proceed with our tasks in the manner which I prefer. This was the only solution to such a problem. At least others will be able to advance the ideas I started, and I can aid them in providing the opportunity to develop new ones.”

Eventually, they all arrive at her office, which is not a humongous place, but certainly enough to rival Imperius’ area. Compared to the mirialan, she has less art and decorations, though, due to a focus on workbenches, technological pieces, holographic projectors, terminals, datapads with various information, blueprints and much more.  
“You know”, Bery starts, “this doesn’t really look like a Sith’s office; more like, someone’s high-tech garage. Reminds me of this techie I knew on Nar Shaddaa, years ago.”

While Acina wanders further inside, she does have time to offer Bery a small smirk.  
“An…interesting observation, Captain. I will admit that, if I did not have Force abilities, I would likely have followed my passions and applied to work in this Sphere regardless. Unfortunately, due to being Sith, I also have to accept my place in the constant powerplay; an aspect which does not interest me.”

Lenorr also looks around with quite a bit of curiosity, but eventually shifts her attention back to the Councilor.  
“I can see why, as I used to have the same ideas. But, you have to admit that, had you not been Sith, it’s very possible that someone else might have decided to control your purpose and limited your potential, no?”

Acina thinks about it for a moment and then shrugs.  
“I will acquiesce to your point, lady Evintok. It is indeed pleasant to at least be in charge of my own work and not have some other Sith limit my range.”  
She shakes her head in thought.  
“During my time in this Sphere, I have had a few rivals myself, and while I did not hesitate to stop them, this is not the type of behavior I wish to promote. Under my rule, one can only join this Sphere as a Sith if they have a genuine interest in scientific and technological advancements – I want no one else. If they wish to fight, they can go join the military wings.”

Her attitude makes Bery grin.  
“You know what you want and won’t allow nonsense around ya – I can appreciate that kind of mindset. You run a tight, but stable ship that way.”

She earns another incline of Acina’s head, this time likely out of appreciation.  
“I agree, and I thank you for understanding, Captain. But enough about me. I promised refreshments, did I not?”  
Acina turns around and walks over to a cabinet in a corner, somewhere under the other equipment.  
“I do not always have use for them, but I have some items stored here which might please you, including liquor.”  
After opening it, she lifts some kind of bottle out with a brown or orange-colored liquid inside.  
“This is a fairly expensive brandy, made on Bosthirda. I have always enjoyed the taste personally, and I hope it will suffice to satisfy you as well.”

Bery looks amused and merely shrugs in return.  
“Hey, as long as it’s tasty and has a bit of a burn to it, I don’t really care what it is.”

Acina smiles and shakes her head, while closing the door to the cabinet.  
“Not much for having high standards with your beverages? I suppose mine are usually rather simple as well.”  
While she wanders towards her desk, she also utilizes the Force to send three glasses in her direction, putting them in her hand as casually as if she was directly picking them up.  
“I should mention that both of you are not unknown to me. I have been studying your names before you arrived. You are both quite…intriguing individuals.”

Bery arches her brow to begin with, before she folds her arms.  
“Is that so? Well then, I’d obviously like to hear what you’ve found.”

To her side, Lenorr rolls her eyes.  
“Why am I not surprised? You always want to hear people speak of your ‘accomplishments’.”

“Well, hey, can’t fault me for being proud, can ya?”

“You take it to the extreme sometimes.”

While Acina is pouring up the drinks, she also listens with an amused expression on her face.  
“Lenorr Evintok. I have heard that you were one of the best and most dedicated Sith under Darth Vowrawn. In fact, I have acquired certain intel which states that he was fairly adamant about keeping you within his Sphere, in order to get you into higher positions in the future.”

It seems like Lenorr hadn’t quite expected to hear this sort of thing, which is why she looks surprised at first. Eventually, she clears her throat.  
“Well, I…will admit that I was, like you, quite passionate about my Sphere’s purpose. It cannot be denied that the Sphere of Production and Logistics perform a lot of tasks which include some of the most important aspects of the Empire.”

Acina smiles and nods.  
“I will not argue with your statement, although not all Sith are able to appreciate this element. It says a lot about you as a person that you do.”

They also hear a chuckle from Bery.  
“Yeah, that she enjoys some of the most boring jobs available.”

“I think we all know how you feel about administration already, Bery”, Lenorr says while sighing.

Instead of letting them bicker, Acina continues to display her knowledge and potentially blatant charming techniques.  
“I believe it would also be difficult to deny the fact that I have heard of the Evintok family as well, of course. It is quite an esteemed name in the Empire. It has been held by a lot of people of importance throughout our history.”

Lenorr snorts.  
“True, although I have always preferred to be my own person and not rely on my family’s reputation.”

“Another sentiment I definitely agree with, even if I am not quite in such a position.”  
She has long since poured the drinks up and now hands the glasses over to her guests. Shortly after, she turns a small smirk towards Bery.  
“And who has not heard of the famous Captain Shodem by now? Or would you prefer being called ‘Voidhound’, perhaps?”

Bery takes the glass, but then shuts her eyes and grimaces.  
“Ugh, no, please. I hate that stupid name.”

“Really? I find it quite…endearing, actually.”

The twi’lek opens her eyes to lock them with Acina, arching her brow in an intrigued fashion.  
“Do you? Huh.”  
She switches location, moving to sit down in one of the chairs, while throwing her feet up on the surface of the desk. This makes Lenorr sigh, but the Councilor does not comment on it.  
“What else do you know?”

Acina takes her own glass, slightly spinning the liquid around while she moves to sit down on the other side.  
“I am aware of your former partnership with the Republic, and how you have faced many of the most dangerous non-hutt criminals in the underworld. The struggle between you and Rogun the Butcher got a lot of voices speaking, even in our nation.  
But, of course, you also took down the Voidwolf, which sent shockwaves through the imperial navy.”

The way she says this makes Bery grin.  
“Damn straight. And you know what? Not even ashamed of it. In fact, I’m glad that asshole got what he deserved – my blaster right up his ugly fucking face.”

Her blunt manners and expression doesn’t seem to deter Acina. She merely continues looking fairly amused.  
“You will receive no protests from me, Captain. I always thought he was too extreme and insolent, even for the Empire. He did not adhere to actual imperial protocols, which we can never abide. He thought he could dismiss and control whomever he wanted, and I do not appreciate such methods. He was too smart for many of his rivals, and sadly, quite adored among some Sith; too much to be ‘dethroned’. His death at your hands is something I approve of, however.”

Bery winks at her, before taking a swig from her glass.  
“Well, it was a good feeling to be there and to duel him. I mean, it hurt like hell, but at least it hurt worse for him.”  
She glances to her side then, offering a hand to her companion.  
“If it wasn’t for Lenorr, though, I would never have survived.”

The Sith does not hesitate, as she reaches out with her hand too, entwining their fingers.  
“And I would do it all over again”, Lenorr admits, affection hardly hidden in her voice.

The display is something which makes Acina smile as she tastes the drink in her glass.  
“I am glad to see that you have each other. The two of you make for a fascinating couple.”

“Fascinating _and_ amazing”, Bery adds, as she sips on her drink again.

While Lenorr doesn’t tear her hand away, she does seem to want to keep this conversation serious and returns her attention to Acina.  
“My lord, I do not wish to be rude, but you did call us here to discuss a ‘sensitive subjective’, yes? I am still quite intrigued by what that might be.”

“Yeah, I agree.”

Acina enjoys some more of her drink, before she puts the glass down on the table.  
“Very well, I suppose we are done chatting about frivolous matters. I called you here for a rather…difficult topic, but I will do my best to explain.”  
She sighs briefly prior to starting.  
“The truth is, the Empire had a very beneficial, albeit somewhat experimental fleet of stealth ships, which we were going to use in the war against the Republic. It would make our strikes in space many times more effective, but sadly, it never came to pass. Darth Malgus seized the entire group, before they were distributed from the factories on Ilum.”

This seems to intrigue both of them, especially Bery.  
“Stealth ships? I’ve heard rumors like that, but never seen one.”

“Well, they are no fantasy. In fact, I was personally involved with the creation of these vessels. A prototype had already been created many years ago, but I helped design improvements for it, making it far more efficient. It was due to this choice that Darth Marr and others allowed a full-blown production of a fleet. It is therefore quite obviously hard to consider how they will now be used against us.”

Lenorr frowns in thought.  
“Yes, I can see how that might be frustrating. Such ships could cause much devastation to imperial convoys, patrols, even penetrate defenses way before anyone notices.”

“Indeed, but fortunately, I always predicted that this might happen. Well, not that we would lose our entire fleet, of course, but I suspected that one or two might be lost some day, to smart operatives within the SIS or mistakes by our soldiers. This is why I already started designing and constructing countermeasures.  
Even before the ships were stolen, we had been trying to produce a special type of scanner, which can detect the ships’ cloaking signature. However, these scanners are still in development at this time and definitely not ready to bring out into the field yet.”  
She places her arms on the desk, putting her hands together.  
“What we would need is to transfer them into one of our best and most well-hidden testing facilities, on Jaguada. I was planning to have this done anyway, but now with the New Empire roaming the galaxy, with our stealth ships at their command and the possibility of traitors everywhere, I have to be more careful.”

After downing the last of her drink, Bery puts the glass on the desk and smirks.  
“So, you need us.”

“Precisely. This is where you and your crew could be beneficial, as you might be able to sneak around the problem without being noticed.”

Lenorr watches her skeptically.  
“How exactly? We do not have stealth capabilities ourselves, my lord.”

“No, I realize that, but you have another advantage – you are outsiders.  
It is very unlikely that we would choose to transport vital and very valuable equipment on a neutral ship. Such a choice would be quite foolish, correct? And that’s exactly what the New Empire will not expect.  
It was not I who came up with the plan, but Darth Imperius. I was initially unsure, but she has vouched for your crew quite adamantly. She believes we can trust you wholeheartedly.”

Lenorr raises a hand and touches one of her facial spurs by the chin in thought.  
“Hmm, if it is that valuable, we could probably take it on board the Hypertrail. It is the best vessel within our company, after all.”

In the meantime, Bery looks both smug and intrigued.  
“Yup, and it’s also _my_ ship.”

The Sith sighs and rolls her eyes.  
“Bery…”

“No, no, let’s not forget who owns it.”  
She sits up straighter and leans her own arms on the desk.  
“This scanner of yours, it must be worth a lot, huh?”

Acina turns towards her, but she doesn’t seem to get particularly worried by the questioning.  
“Oh yes, definitely. It is extremely valuable, even more so due to current events. If you sold it on the black market, you’d add a lot of credits to your already substantial account.”

Bery’s expression changes into a grin instead.  
“Was it that easy to see through me?”

The Councilor tries to keep her feigned serious face, but her lips curl somewhat against her wishes.  
“You are a woman with an acquired taste, Captain. I cannot fault you for giving this some thought.”

“Tsk. Well, it’s good that I’m such a nice lady and reasonable business partner then, right?  
We’ll do this job for you and I’ll obviously fly the ship myself.”

“Splendid. I do not know much of your ship, but with you as the pilot, I am confident that you will succeed.”

“You haven’t heard of the Hypertrail? Oh, you’re missing out, Councilor. Tell me if you ever have some spare time, and you’ll definitely be allowed to come on board for a tour.”

It seems she might not have expected as much, by her raised eyebrows, but Acina nods shortly after, with a smile on her lips.  
“What a fascinating invitation. I might just accept it.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _Right, so, I'm gonna develop this more later on, but I felt like I should mention some of my reasons for writing this story right now._   
>  _I want Acina to sort of be a more...polite counterpart to Lenorr's brutish no-nonsense nature and Bery's playful bluntness. She can also interact with both on levels that few others can; she's a Sith like Lenorr, and both she and Bery are into ships - Bery as a pilot, Acina as an engineer._   
> 


	4. Force dilemma

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _This chapter involves the Risha/Sumalee pairing that I started way back in my one-shot["Along the lonely port"](http://archiveofourown.org/works/6717454)._

Lenorr won’t shy away from speaking her mind about Port Zodric, the neutral space station where their transportation company has one of its offices – she doesn’t like it. She feels very uncomfortable every time she comes here and it’s not just due to the inhabitants. There’s always something in the air, like a constant tension. The rivalry between the various corporations, syndicates and gangs is obviously one aspect, but there are more elements to it.  
She can’t forget how one of the first times she ever came here, there was some activity within the Force that kept distracting her thoughts, and yet she was never able to pinpoint it. Many months later, she still has no answer for this peculiarity and the truth has kept eluding her, especially when she hasn’t been able to sense that source again.

Of course, that’s not really why she’s here today, even if it keeps poking her attention, never letting her forget what she should know. Instead she arrives outside the office belonging to one of the co-owners for the company she has been associated with ever since her girlfriend helped start it up. Over a year ago now, she never could’ve imagined that she’d able to stroll in so casually to this person’s location and chat with her, but the situation has changed.

When Lenorr gets past the initial security entrance, the door to the office itself is already open and she hears how a conversation goes on in there. It’s not an argument per se, merely a debate where two people are slightly disagreeing about something. After getting her coat off, Lenorr tilts her head inside, getting a glimpse of a familiar togruta over the holoprojector. It makes her smirk. She rarely gets to see these two chat, even if she knows that the woman on the hologram is one of the co-owner’s weaknesses.

“Speaking with the enemy, Drayen?”, Lenorr asks with a mildly amused tone once she enters.

Risha doesn’t even seem particularly surprised that anyone walked inside. She must have really expected Lenorr. What she does, however, is roll her eyes, while Sumalee folds her arms and smirks.  
“We don’t take sides, Lenorr”, the human retorts.  
At this time, Risha is dressed in a business outfit, involving a dark blue suit and pants, black shirt and white tie. It has similar tones to Lenorr’s black and red robes, but with more class. Sumalee appears to be in some kind of brown robes, which she might say is typical for a Jedi, but she's technically doing the same thing on the opposite end.

“Perhaps, but you know what I mean.”

Sumalee has no intention of staying out of a conversation like this, as it’s technically Lenorr who butted in. She offers the pureblood a playful salute.  
“Hello to you too, Evintok. Hope you’re keeping my lovely girlfriend safe over there.” 

Lenorr snorts.  
“I try my best. She is a wily one, though.”

After a brief sigh, Risha turns her attention back to the Jedi.  
“If you would stop being so stubborn, she wouldn’t have to be here doing this sort of thing.”

By the look on the togruta’s face, it would appear that they’ve had this conversation before. Lenorr feels a bit sorry for them both. Sure, Sumalee is a Jedi, but at least she’s pretty decent and fairly funny. Plus, she keeps Risha happy and that’s always a positive element.  
“You know I'd want that too, but things aren’t that easy right now. You have to recognize the issues we face.”

“Aren’t they, though? They certainly could be, if you would just admit what’s best for us both. It definitely was for Lenorr and Bery.”

The Sith clears her throat, but doesn’t say anything. She realizes that the components for their relationship was entirely different, and the rest probably knows the same.  
Sumalee exhales, her lekkus twitching as she rubs the tip of her nose. Lenorr doesn’t know all too much about how it is for togruta, but if she tries to use what knowledge she has from spending time with Bery, she thinks that those movements might signal that Sumalee is uncomfortable. 

“Look, we’ve discussed this before, Risha. Do you really wanna have this conversation right now?”

Risha seems like she’s caught in some kind of mental crossroads then, unsure if she should continue arguing or not. Now that Lenorr is present, that would likely be bad.  
Seeing how her friend hesitates, the Sith figures that perhaps it would be worth it to pitch in.  
“Well, I hope you’re not taking any unnecessary risks, Jedi. I know for a fact that there are those who would be quite sad if anything happened to you, even more than just Risha.”

Sumalee arches one of her eyebrows, folds her arms, and smirks.  
“Does that include you, ‘Lord Tremor’?”

Lenorr rolls her eyes.  
“I have no comment on this.” 

“Somehow, that says more than any other words ever could.”

It wouldn’t be impossible, nor unwanted, for Lenorr to maintain a playful argument with this Jedi, but she realizes that this is not the occasion for it.  
“At any rate, I was wondering if I could have some of Risha’s time. I have work-related stuff to speak about.”

Sumalee scratches her cheek in thought.  
“Hmm, somehow, I have a feeling this will be something of a dubious nature, but I suppose I don’t really have a choice.”  
She looks at her girlfriend instead.  
“I will call you again later on, if that’s okay.”

Risha nods briefly in return.  
“Yeah, sounds good.”  
Almost immediately after she says this, she stops and bites her lower lip, appearing as if she has something on her mind. Sumalee waits, possibly to see if she should interrupt or not, but the human soon looks back at her.  
“And…Lenorr is right. Be careful out there, okay?”

The Jedi master smiles, wider than before, seemingly glad to hear those words.  
“I’ll try, I promise.”

After the call ends, Risha is silent at first for a few moments, probably trying to gather herself, and Lenorr lets her. The Sith sees no reason to rush her friend either.  
Eventually, Risha exhales and turns back around.  
“I apologize for forcing you to witness that. I was trying to end the call sooner, but…we got derailed.”

Lenorr merely shakes her head.  
“No need, I’m fine with it. You shouldn’t have to apologize for expressing yourself.”

“I know, but I don’t like to seem vulnerable.” 

This is a sentiment Lenorr can definitely agree with. She rarely has serious arguments with Bery, but she wouldn’t want them in front of others, not even those who are close to her.  
“I understand. Perhaps we should move onto the reason I’m here instead?”

“Yeah, I’d appreciate that.” 

Lenorr grabs a bag that is hanging from her shoulder and opens it up, taking out a datapad which she starts to browse.  
“We spoke to Imperius, Acina and Vowrawn during our visit. They took the opportunity to relay the whole current situation and what is needed of us. There was also a special mission. Let me send the files over.”

Risha gets in behind her desk and accesses her terminal to check what Lenorr has stored, and she sees quite a few potential cargo runs and transport deadlines. For now, they’re sort of flexible, until the company can properly adapt and find the appropriate pilots.  
“Hmm, this is a lot of increased work to the Empire.”

“Yes, I know, but I suppose you have heard what has happened by now.”

Risha is still tapping away at the terminal while she speaks, being capable of doing both at once.  
“Of course. Malgus’ message suddenly appeared on all channels only hours after we had our conversation. What he’s doing sounds insane and hopefully not doable.”

“We shall have to see, I suppose. At any rate, the Empire requi-…or, well, they’ve asked us to aid them, to help them transport goods, resources and supplies to various stations across their space. They took a serious amount of damage during Malgus’ outbreak and are struggling to keep themselves above utter chaos. Bery has agreed to the terms as well, for the most part, but wanted you to look through and confirm everything. You have the final say here.”

Not entirely true, of course, as Bery would still probably overrule something if she finds Risha’s reasons to be lacking, but the Captain tends to trust her partner’s word.  
“Right, I’ll do it and see what I can find. I can’t locate anything about that special mission you mentioned, though.”

Lenorr shakes her head.  
“No, we didn’t save any of the details for it, just in case. I wanted to explain it to you, which is why I came in person.  
Basically, Darth Acina – the Sphere of Technology leader – has a powerful piece of equipment which she has asked us to transport and Bery will be doing this personally. She’s currently with other imperial representatives to make sure that everything checks out.”

Risha looks a little bit surprised then, arching her brow towards Lenorr.  
“And you were okay with leaving her like that, surrounded by imperial troops?”

The Sith stares at her for a few moments, before she snorts.  
“Why wouldn’t I be? She has Akaavi and Bowdaar at her side. Plus, as a former imperial who tried to hunt her for months, I know that she’s too slippery to be caught.”

She doesn’t receive a laugh, but Risha does smile.  
“Fair enough.”

“Besides, I needed to deliver these files to you and I preferred to do it in person.  
That reminds me – most of the shipments we’re sending are directed towards Vowrawn’s facilities. As my old employer, he has tried to be lenient and offered us the possibility to lend assistance with the administration and filing processes related to this rather large operation, if we need it.”

Some might see that as a generous offer, but both Risha and Lenorr knows that it’s also a bit of a power grab, trying to push them into his domain. That’s not going to happen.  
Risha merely snorts amusedly.  
“If you see him again, you can thank him for the offer, but no, we’ll be handling it ourselves. I’ve hired a few people to help me with administration anyway, so we won’t be overwhelmed.  
What I could use some help with, though, is some advice from you. I’ve not dealt all too much with Vowrawn directly. You have any suggestions?”

Lenorr arches her brow skeptically.  
“Excuse me? What do you mean by that?”

“Tsk, I think you know. You worked for him during quite a long time, right? You must have some knowledge of his tricks and potential schemes.” 

At first, she’s going to protest it, saying that it is an unfair assumption to make about Sith, but then also realizes who they’re discussing and stops herself before mentioning anything at all. She sighs instead.  
“I respect Darth Vowrawn quite a bit, and not only for who he is, but for what he has done. He is a great leader with much understanding for how the Empire operates, how to circumvent its issues and deal with the military’s arrogance when necessary. But…yes, he can be quite difficult at times.  
I’m not sure what I could tell you in terms of ‘tricks’, though. For the most part, I just think you should be careful about signing anything, and if Vowrawn ever invites you anywhere, tell me first of where and when he wants to meet you. It can have different implications depending on the situation.”

Risha shakes her head.  
“…you see what I mean? This is why I asked.”

“Yes, I know, but it’s not as bad as it can be with other Sith. Vowrawn rarely uses such crude things as assassination, although it has happened. He prefers charm and distractions.”

This makes the human smirk, fold her arms and lean back in her chair.  
“Really? Huh. That’s kinda funny, because I do the same thing. Perhaps we’ll get along after all.”  
For the next several minutes, they discuss a few other matters regarding various locations and people that they might use for their current assignments. Once this is done, Lenorr prepares to head out, as she will be needed elsewhere, especially as she has to contact Vowrawn as well. Before she manages to get very far, though, Risha reaches out.  
“Wait.” When Lenorr stops and looks at her, Risha hesitates, squeezing her other arm in thought. She seems reluctant to say anything, even though there are clear notions of curiosity.  
“There was something else, not related to our work.”

“Yes?”

Risha collects herself, takes a deep breath and exhales curtly.  
“As…lame as I feel like this will sound, I have to confess that I consider you to be a friend. You know, one of the few I have.”

Lenorr looks confused. What brought this on?  
“Well, I obviously feel the same way. Our relationship started off on the wrong foot, but I believe that things have changed since then and we have grown much closer. If it wasn’t for you, I might not have enjoyed my time with this crew as much.”

Risha offers her a faint smile and nods.  
“I’m glad you feel that way, because I actually have a question. A rather…personal one.”

Seeing how she probably won’t be leaving any time soon, Lenorr turns back towards the desk and walks closer.  
“Alright. I’m listening, although I can’t promise that I will give you an answer. It depends on the nature of it.”

“Yeah, I understand, just…” Risha diverts her eyes and bites her lip as she hesitates. Lenorr herself looks a little troubled. How serious is this?  
“As a Sith, do you ever feel like…like you have to limit yourself around Bery?”

Lenorr tilts her head curiously.  
“Limit myself? In what way?”

“Just what it sounds like. And I’m not just talking about in terms of strength, but pretty much on all levels. Even…beyond the physical.”

Now she starts to understand what this may be about, even if it’s not the kind of question that Lenorr would’ve expected. They rarely discuss such matters, as Risha tries to ignore them. Or at least, that’s what it has always seemed like.  
“Hmm. I suppose there may be some truth to that, yes. I don’t consider it every moment I spend with her, but it is an element that exists.  
I obviously have to do my best to hold back on some of my abilities with the Force, as I do not wish to hurt Bery. The effects that the Force can produce in a non-Force user, especially the mind, can be quite substantial. I would never wish to do that to her.”

“Yeah, I get it.”

“That said, I wouldn’t claim it’s a particularly difficult task to handle or anything. It’s not like I have to actively push myself to avoid killing her. I imagine that would be the case for someone like the Emperor, but not the average Sith.  
And then there is Bery, who is quite resistant to certain aspects of the Force anyhow. She has a very strong and willful mind. On the physical realm, when we spend time together…well, let’s just say that she can sometimes get worse than me.”

Risha smiles, doing her best to actually hold back a laughter.  
“Somehow, I don’t doubt that at all. I’ve seen it before.”

Lenorr opens her mouth to continue, but then stops and blinks in surprise.  
“…excuse me? What’s that supposed to mean?”

It appears that the human now realizes that she may have been too absent-minded, revealing what she shouldn’t. She follows it with a sigh.  
“Never mind.”

“Were you implying that-“

“Let’s not discuss it. Seriously, let’s not.”

Lenorr is skeptical at first, feeling like she actually wants to know now, but perhaps it’s not worth it. If it’s not serious, then it doesn’t matter.  
“As you wish.”

“Anyway, the reason I’m talking to you about this at all, is because the question is always on my mind when I’m in Sumalee’s company. I obviously want to have her at my side, and in certain regards, I think she wants the same thing.  
The problem here is, like you may have suggested, can she handle that? Does a Force user have to somehow limit themselves when they’re with a partner who isn’t sensitive? You know, to the point where it gets uncomfortable.”  
Risha lowers her gaze, starting to fidget a bit with the sleeve of her suit.  
“I’m kinda worried about it, and it makes me wonder if that’s why Sumalee hesitates.”

Even though the circumstances are different, Lenorr can’t really blame her. She can see why it would affect Risha in this way. Has Bery ever been concerned that she’s hurting Lenorr? The Captain seems too carefree for that kind of thinking at a glance, but that isn’t true once you get to a deeper level.  
“Well, I obviously can’t say for sure, as Sumalee is a Jedi and we interact with the Force in different ways. I wouldn’t say it’s impossible, though.  
However, I don’t believe staying quiet about it will work in the long run. From my point of view, it’s much better if you confront this issue directly with her. Explain how you feel and what’s on your mind.”

Risha nods slowly, pondering each of Lenorr’s words, as she raises a hand to stroke some of her hair behind an ear.  
“That is a possibility I have considered, but…what if she rejects my idea and ends our relationship?”

“Again, I cannot predict her reactions, nor what affects her, but this is an outcome you must always be prepared for. I suppose you will have to ask yourself whether you want a relationship built on truth and blatant opinions, or on convenient silence.”

It is obvious to both women that Lenorr has a point, which becomes pretty clear when Risha leans back in her chair and rubs her forehead in irritation.  
“Dammit. It’s annoying to be wrong, and even more so to ask these questions, as I feel so stupid. Still, I needed to be sure.”

Lenorr smiles and shrugs.  
“I wouldn’t say they’re stupid. You do not interact with the Force in any way and it’s always smarter to ask than to stay ignorant.”

Risha sighs and shakes her head.  
“True enough.  
Anyway, thanks for your advice. I dunno how I feel yet, but I appreciate that you’re always so candid.”

Feeling the need to show how serious she is, Lenorr walks over to the other side of the desk and gently pats Risha’s shoulder.  
“There’s no need for it. We are friends, remember?”

Risha looks up at her, meeting those orange eyes for a few moments, before she emits a brief chuckle, the first one of the day.  
“I guess. But, you do realize that if I actually manage to convince her, you will have a Jedi to contend with, right?”

“That…is true. I should probably consider how to approach such a scenario. Perhaps I can sway her over to another side of the Force.”

Risha playfully smacks her fingers.  
“Hey, hands off her. I have enough Sith around me already.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _This chapter wasn't directly related to Acina or Bery, but it was a sort of continuation on the friendship growing between Lenorr and Risha. I dealt with certain aspects of it in Shattered Hyperlanes and it felt like it was suitable here too. Lenorr is one of the main characters of this story, after all._   
> 


	5. Hands of aspiration

Bery would generally say that she’s only driven by instinct in certain cases, such as when she’s flying her ship in particularly tough situations or being forced into a gunfight. Other times, she prefers to trust what wits and tricks she has learned throughout her years in the galactic underworld, as to not stumble into any traps or stupid scenarios.  
There is one more thing that she would say triggers her instincts, though – inspections. When they’re talking about officials wishing to visit her ship in any way, she has always done her very best to avoid such interactions or at least attempt measures of sabotaging it.

The life of a smuggler is always unruly, filled with a combination of adventure, danger and rewards. You rarely get all tree and you’ll only enjoy the first if you know what you’re doing, but it does keep people on their toes, Bery especially.  
This is exactly why it was so difficult to keep all of those instincts and maneuvers locked up when their imperial employers asked to inspect her ship. Apparently, they need to do a thorough examination of how prepared the Hypertrail is to transport a device like their new and still untested prototype scanner across imperial space. Immediately upon asking, she tried to reassure them that it was unnecessary, that her baby could handle anything, but apparently it was not a sufficient response, not when doing something classified.

On Lenorr’s recommendation, Bery eventually chose to stand down, realizing how foolish she was being anyway. What’s the point of fighting it now that she has agreed to cooperate? It’s not like they’re actually going to transport any other supplies or steal something. They’re literally going to take one item from one base to another. That’s the entirety of the job, why make it more difficult?  
Well, instinct is the answer, because she has always taught herself never to trust inspections, even though it can only be beneficial right now, in order to retain good relations with the Empire.

Currently, the Hypertrail is docked on one of the outer imperial colonies and Bery doesn’t actually know if this is where the scanner is stationed, but perhaps it doesn’t matter. They’ll provide the details when they think it’s necessary and this works for her too. It’s been a little while since she was on a reasonably interesting assignment and even if they should not face any danger, there’s always the potential, right? Maybe Malgus will give her something unexpected.

Working with the Empire at all is still pretty amusing to her, in a way. If this had been just a few years ago and they asked her to get a few inspectors on her ship, she would either shoot them down on the spot, or set up traps while waiting for their personnel to walk into certain death. Now that she’s a business partner, she has to play nice and do what’s necessary to help out. If it wasn’t for Darth Imperius, Bery probably wouldn’t have cared, or told them all to fuck off, but she respects that Sith. She’s kind, diplomatic, funny and charismatic. If Bery can help her gain any more power in the Empire, she’s willing to do so.

After having waited a couple of hours, they finally receive news that the imperial inspectors are en route and Bery moves down to the hangar, meeting up with Bowdaar and Akaavi on the way. They may be allies with the Empire, but she’s not taking any unnecessary risks. Better to have friends at your side than be alone in these cases.  
As the doors to the ship slide open and someone walks inside, they don’t receive the guest she would’ve expected to see, though.

“Uh, Darth Acina?”

The Dark Councilor is wearing some rather official looking dark violet and white robes, but no armor this day. Her hair is in the same bun as usual, but she wears a lighter application of cosmetics on her face. She turns towards Bery and smiles in a friendly manner, giving her a brief nod.  
“Captain Shodem, I’m glad to see that you are still here. I apologize for my delay. I hope I did not make you impatient.”

Bery pushes herself away from the boxes she was leaning against and clears her throat.  
“Just a little. But, have to say that I didn’t think I’d see you any time soon. You're the inspector we've been waiting for?”

“Of course, why not? The prototype you’re transporting is one I am very familiar with, and I don’t want it to suffer any security risks along the way. Therefore, I figured I would conduct this search myself. I assumed you might be more comfortable with me than one of my staff members anyhow.”

Well, she’s not wrong. They’ve only met twice so far, but Bery won’t lie and say she didn’t enjoy those encounters. Even with this in mind, she does quietly wonder if that’s the only reason. Did she come here for Bery’s sake, or is there perhaps an underlying preference somewhere behind it?  
“That’s…probably true, yeah.”

Acina watches her curiously after the somewhat delayed response.  
“If you believe I’m incorrect or if this choice is unacceptable, feel free to tell me, Captain. I can call someone else right away.”

Bery blinks at first, before she smiles and slides her hands down to her own hips.  
“What? No, no, I was just surprised, that’s all. Having you here is more than a pleasure. You’re much less judgmental than some of the other inspectors I’ve suffered in the past.”

Her comment pleases the Sith, who offers her an amused smile.  
“Well, I will certainly accept such compliments and I hope I will be satisfied with what you have to show me. Please, feel free to begin the tour whenever you like, Captain.”

“Alright, might as well start with the cargo bay, right?”

“Sounds reasonable.”

She starts by turning around, facing the other two people within the room.  
“Right, so, don’t have the entire crew here today, but here’s two of them. This is Akaavi Spar, the mandalorian in the gang, and Bowdaar.”

Akaavi gives the Sith a curt nod.  
“Hello.”

Shortly after, Bowdaar waves at her as well, and Acina can’t help but smile, seeing the lack of formalities or any direct signs of respect that Sith are usually offered. Not that she minds the lack of it, but she wonders if this is out of some kind of defiance, or because they simply don’t care. Probably doesn’t matter.  
“Greetings. It’s a pleasure to meet you both.”

“Brought both of ‘em due to security reasons, mostly”, Bery explains. “Akaavi has that responsibility in my crew, while Bowdaar combines security with a sort of custodian role. He likes being on the Hypertrail.  
Although, seeing as how you didn’t send any troops, I guess they weren’t needed.”

Acina arches her brow as she looks at Bery.  
“Most people would be quite fearful or at least unnerved in the presence of a Sith, which would certainly warrant taking security precautions.”

“What, afraid of a tech nerd like you? Nah, don’t think so.”

Acina starts to chuckle and shakes her head, not sure if she should be offended or not. Bery’s mannerisms are certainly…peculiar, but charming as well.  
“Fair enough.”

Bery spreads her arms and gestures to the room around them.  
“So, yeah, this is the cargo bay. Quite spacious, right? It’s big enough to contain a medium-sized shuttle, if I’d try to shove it in here. We’ve got space for lots of equipment too, if that’s what you’re after. Because it’s a freighter, this is the largest section of the Hypertrail.”

The Sith takes a few steps away, raising her hand up to her chin in thought as she inspects the various corners. At this time, the room is fairly empty, except for a few tools and lockers stationed at one of the walls. They’ve got magnet hooks and other devices hanging further up and from the roof, along with terminals and datapads in a corner.  
“Indeed. I would say it’s a little bit larger than expected, if one considers the overall size of your ship.”

“Yeah, I know. When I first got her several years ago, it wasn’t quite as big as I wanted it to be. Not interested in having extra passengers, so I had some renovations done, removed some of the northern parts and replaced it with more cargo space. Had to accommodate as much as possible.”

“And yet you still have enough cabins for your entire crew?”

“Well, yeah. We’re only six people now, and one of ‘em is hardly even on the ship anymore. Lenorr shares room with me, obviously.”

Acina folds her arms and turns to face the Captain.  
“You have gained quite a bit of wealth with your fame, haven’t you? Why not get a larger vessel?”

Bery tilts her head skeptically.  
“You think I’d get rid of the Hypertrail? You probably don’t know how attached some of us get to our vessels. This baby is more than just a ship, she’s part of my crew, a member of the family, and there’s few crafts like her. I’d never replace her with anything else, not even a larger freighter.”

The human watches her curiously, scrutinizing not just her words, but her expression as well. The confidence they’re spoken with is quite undeniable.  
“Interesting. I shall endeavor not to insult the fair lady then.”

“Yeah, wouldn’t recommend it.”

“What about the rest of this space then? I assume you have certain safety precautions, in case you receive other types of unwanted attention.”

A few moderately tense seconds passes by as the Captain stares at her, possibly trying to test her resolve, before Bery’s lips curl into a small smirk.  
“Heh. You’re smarter than you look, huh?”

Acina tries to give her a similar expression in return.  
“That depends what you think of my appearance.”

“Well, you’re right, I do have a few special transmitters placed in this area, far up on the walls. They’re impossible to see, because we’ve attached them underneath the plates. They’re hidden in a few hatches, and send out signals to disrupt most scanning devices. Not the most advanced on the market, but definitely enough to get past basic customs procedures in the galaxy.”

She should’ve anticipated something like that, shouldn’t she? Acina displays quite a bit of amusement while she smiles.  
“Very clever, Captain, and quite useful in this particular occasion. I believe I understand why you have been so very successful in your chosen profession.”

“Oh, to be a good transporter you need more than handy devices, but they do help out a lot.”  
She gestures with her hand for Acina to follow.  
“C’mon, let me show you the bridge. That’s where the heart of all activity happens.”

Acina follows these instructions, but Akaavi pursues Bery with her eyes.  
“Captain, where do you want us?”

Bery meets her gaze and then shrugs.  
“Oh, uh, I dunno. Go grab a cup of caf or something while I show the Darth around.”

The mandalorian sighs and shakes her head, wondering what Lenorr would say about Bery totally disregarding the security they had agreed upon.  
“If you say so.”

Going through the corridors of the freighter, they eventually end up in the relatively small bridge. It does have space for two chairs and a bit of room to move about, but it’s definitely not anything to compare with a cruiser, or even somewhat larger freighters.  
All around them, there’s terminals, consoles, flashing lights, and other technological equipment.  
“Right, here we are. This is where I do my magic, which I guess you can already see. I’ve got all the necessary and latest devices and widgets available for an advanced modern ship.  
Controls for weapons and shielding are also wired into this section. I’ve got a Croniker Barrier type shield, with a high kinetic rating for extra sharp defense, in case of a raid or attack. On top of this, the Hypertrail is equipped with a range of weapons, from the two Soniver arms HSG-67 laser cannons, to a bunch of missile batteries. It’s not always easy to handle that stuff alone, but that’s why there’s a co-pilot seat.”

Once she finally looks back at the Sith, Acina isn’t actually watching the controls themselves, but lets her eyes drifts across the walls and roof. She doesn’t seem bored, though, which was Bery’s fear, but it’s hard to tell what intrigues her.  
“Very good, Captain. Sounds like you have it secured with the right type of tools.”

Bery doesn’t actually know what Acina is searching for, but she figures that the Darth may want to know more details.  
“Uh, if you’re wondering, our hull is reinforced too, with some lighter metals. It can’t take a horrendous beating, as it’s made for speed and versatility, but it’s definitely more resilient than other ships in its size.”

She spends a few more seconds sweeping the room with her eyes, before finally looking back at Bery.  
“Very impressive, indeed. However, this wasn’t quite what I was investigating. I was merely scanning the design of your bridge.”

Bery raises her brow, seeming slightly confused.  
“O…kay. For what?”

Acina takes a couple of steps forward, standing in the middle of the room and uses her arms to indicate the front area.  
“From what I gather, this room appears to be designed for a larger and taller individual than you, where reach was a more plausible outcome. It does not seem to have had you in mind.”

When they face each other again, Bery pouts at her.  
“Excuse me?! Are you making fun of my height?”

It can’t be denied that even Acina is taller than her, despite it being no more than a few centimeters. Not quite the comment the Councilor had expected, though, which is why she erupts in laughter.  
“No, of course not, Captain! You are not ridiculously short, except in comparison to some of your companions. They are very tall, I must admit.  
But no, I’m merely trying to explain that I would have designed this bridge more appropriately to an individual like yourself, in perhaps a half-circle shape, instead of the long horizontal board. It would mean that you don’t have to stretch or shift around as often. It would have given the bridge the feeling of a command center, which is more suited to you, in my opinion.”

The Captain’s eyes drifts between Acina and the controls, trying to imagine what she’s being told and looks fairly curious.  
“Huh. You know, that’s actually kinda interesting. Never considered that before, since I’m just so used to this setup. Maybe I should get someone to take a look at it…”

Acina smiles, seeming rather pleased.  
“I would be more than happy to find an imperial engineer who can assist you with this process, if you’d like.  
However, if you don’t mind, I am also curious of other interior design. Would it be possible for me to see the engine?”

Having been lost in her own thoughts for a moment, her gaze swiftly returns to Acina now.  
“The engine? Most inspectors don’t actually check that section of the ship.”

“I know, but I am not most inspectors.”

Bery snorts amusedly and shrugs.  
“Good point. If that’s what you want, guess I’ll comply. Follow me.”

Even if she does have some knowledge of it, Bery is not the most adept with mechanical skills, which is why she has left the lower areas of the ship to Risha or paid technicians in the past. Despite the size of the large grey crate-shaped device, the engine room is mostly pretty empty, except for a terminal, a toolbox and the hyperspace drive. There’s quite a lot of lights available, but only a few of them are currently activated.  
Acina takes in the feeling of the room around her, and except for the fairly low ceiling, she notes a particular trait rather quickly.

“It is very silent down here.”

The engine is on standby mode at this time, but that doesn’t mean there’s no movement, and it doesn’t change much when things become more active.  
“Mhm, you can thank Risha for that. She ordered in a few special components that she applied herself when she started working for me. Wanted us to have the best stuff available, especially since she had to be down here a lot.”

Acina gives her an inquisitive gaze.  
“Risha? Are you speaking of miss Drayen?”

“Yup. She may be a hot, smart and snarky Queen-in-exile and businesswoman, but she’s also one helluva mechanic. The Hypertrail would’ve never run as smoothly as she does without Risha.”

Acina takes a few steps closer to the safety railing which surrounds the engine. She does note that there are force field emitters around it, probably to seal it off or protect it in more high-risk situations. For now, she decides to examine the devices.  
“She must be very capable, if I judge her skill from what she has done here.”

“Yeah. As you can probably see, most of her work was done on the sublight drive, but she occasionally messes with the hyperdrive too”, Bery says and points at the slimmer rectangular piece next to the larger one.

She’s just about to provide Acina with some numbers, when the Sith interrupts her.  
“If I am not mistaken, this is a Phillor MegaStar IO5-Ultra Sublight Drive. Aesthetically boring, but holds a surprising amount of power and energy storage.”

Bery’s eyes widen in surprise. She knew that Acina was a capable engineer, but not how accurate her knowledge would be, nor the speed of her assessment.  
“Wow. Uh, didn’t think you’d know the details. But, yeah, that’s true. As you probably noticed, we have some interior shielding to protect it.”

“Indeed, a wise choice.  
I also recognize the Ventra-GDL…44.167 model of hyperdrive, I believe? Personally, I am of the opinion that they lost some of the speed compared to the quick startup of the 43.271 model, but I suppose there is no use in being picky.”

There’s something stirring in Bery’s chest now, and she swallows. Is Acina trying to impress her, or is this just the general experience of being around the Councilor? She can’t recall ever discussing engines with any Sith or Jedi, which she finds fascinating.  
Trying not to look dumbstruck, she clears her throat and smirks.  
“Well, if you know your hyperdrives, you should be aware of that model’s problems with the regulators, causing potential overheating. They fixed that with the 44.”

Acina shifts around and smiles once more, before she folds her arms.  
“Those issues only occurred on a limited amount of drives, but I suppose it is true enough. But if you were worried about such errors, why not go with the 45.130? It is newer and smaller in size, giving more space for other modules.”

“Hey, why update something that isn’t broken? Our current one is more than enough, especially after Risha’s modifications.”

Taking a small step back, Acina leans against the railing and shakes her head.  
“I suppose you have a point. I am glad you know your drives, though. It is always wise for a pilot to have some knowledge of it. Makes the mechanic less generally irritated.”

Bery grins.  
“You and Risha have similar views on that too. But, to be fair, I’m actually pretty impressed that you know so much.”

“Why? I am an engineer, Captain. I may not fly ships, but I do know how to build them, along with their various parts.”  
She gives the vicinity another brief glance.  
“In fact, if need be, I could certainly provide the Hypertrail with a few additional alterations, which I believe should be beneficial for you.”

This makes Bery smirk once more, wider than before. The Captain moves towards the Sith and places a hand on the railing, right next to Acina and looks straight at her.  
“I don’t doubt it, but you gotta remember that this is _my_ vessel, Councilor. I wouldn’t let just anyone mess around with my baby.”

Acina counters the gaze with a confident one of her own, keeping her hands where Bery can see them.  
“I would never dispute your claim, Captain”, she says with a somewhat quieter tone, “nor would I ever do anything to her that you disagree with.”

“In that case, maybe I would be willing to let you prove it. Could allow you to come back at some point and…have a look under the sublight drive chassis.”

There are intriguing notions shimmering through Acina’s eyes as she arches her brow.  
“You would permit me to touch her in such private regions, Captain?”

Bery hadn’t expected that any Sith outside of Imperius would be so amusing, but Acina is challenging those ideas right now. Bery slowly leans forward to grab one of Acina’s hands, surprising the Sith, but she does not resist. The Captain takes her time to stroke a few fingers over not just the back, but the palm as well, as if to study it.  
“You’ve got sturdy and experienced hands. I suspect that you know what you’re doing, meaning that you could probably make her feel pretty damn good. I just ask that you treat her right, in the way she deserves.”

It seems Acina may not have been prepared for the touch nor the comment, so she starts to chuckle and even blushes somewhat.  
“A very…appealing suggestion. I shall definitely consider it.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _Did they just talk about screwing a ship? I have no idea_   
>  _Also, the engine talk is...somewhat forced, I admit, because I'm not very good at it. I mean, I don't know anything about car engines, much less fantasy spaceship drives, but I wanted to show that Acina knows her stuff. And that it makes Bery warm._


	6. Blood ties

It was never going to be an easy job, they knew that from the start, way before landing. Didn’t exactly sound like the toughest thing ever, though, and Bery was pretty sure that they had gone through worse.  
Still, who had expected that they’d get a call like that?

_Bery and Lenorr were alone inside the Hypertrail on that particular day, with only Bowdaar as the other crew member somewhere in the belly of the ship, like the wookiee usually is. It’s not like they haven’t had calls from Sith before, especially now that they’d become closer allies of sorts, but except for Imperius, it’s rather unusual for them to be contacted by Dark Councilors, even less so by the type of person who appeared on the holo when Bery answered._

_“Darth Marr?”, she asked as she watched the heavily armored man._  
_“Well, this is…unusual.”_

 _Lenorr cleared her throat and stood up, glancing skeptically at her girlfriend before she returned her gaze to Marr._  
_“And an honor, my lord.”_

_“Captain Shodem, Lord Tremor”, Marr said calmly as he folded his arms. “I have recently been informed of our increased partnership with your independent company. With regard to this contract, I have a mission for you.”_

_Bery arched her eyebrow, not sure if she should feel hesitant or intrigued._  
_“A mission? Uh, we’re not your troops, you know.”_

 _“I am well aware of that, Captain, and it is not why I have called you._  
_As I assume you know by now, we are at war with the newly formed so-called ‘New Empire’, when Malgus broke away from our fold. We have waited for him to act and it appears he was not lying regarding his motives. We have already been attacked.”_

 _It hadn’t been more than a few weeks since it all started and already things were looking grim. Lenorr seemed especially concerned at this development._  
_“What world, my lord?”_

_“Kirragon Sij II, in the fringes of imperial space. It may not be a critical planet, but it does contain some important raw material installations and research facilities, the latter belonging to the Sphere of Technology.”_

_At the time, Bery wasn’t really sure if Malgus was trying to urge them on by putting Acina’s Sphere in the mix, as he likely knew that they were affiliated with her, but it was working regardless._  
_“If it’s not the most interesting place, why attack it?”, she asked._

_“My assumption is that Malgus and the others are trying to work their way slowly into our territory, carving out areas for themselves that we cannot protect quite as well just yet, so that they can have something to expand upon.”_

_Lenorr nodded briefly._  
_“It’s not a bad plan.”_

_“Indeed. Nevertheless, one of my apprentices left for that world with a battalion of troops, to help the defenders, but they have apparently been hit fairly hard. They are currently low on supplies and have had to dig themselves in, to maintain position. I would like for you and your ship to fly extra resources inside.”_

_Bery had snorted and placed her hands at her hips in a confident manner._  
_“Sounds like an easy enough job. Sign us up.”_

Despite this confidence, and how Bery had known that it would be a combat scenario, she hadn’t expected how far it’d go. Or maybe she's just getting rusty.  
It has been quite a while since Bery went through a hectic situation like this, with cannon fire and anti-air missiles constantly being fired at them. Perhaps they should’ve tried a little bit more stealthy approach instead of bursting right through the atmosphere.

“Shields down to 40%”, Lenorr reports from the co-pilot seat.

Bery corrects an error on a console, before she pulls at the control sticks and drags the ship out of the cannon fire’s line, making it barely miss them. It was close, and she can only thank her reasonably quick reflexes that they avoided it.  
“I know, I know! Look, you don’t have to count down every time we’re hit. Try to focus on boosting it instead if you can.”

Lenorr furrows her brow.  
“With what? You want me to drag power from life support?”

“Of course I don’t, but something else! We’ve gotta have some unimportant systems you haven’t yet taken energy from. Just get it done.”

It’s not often they argue about this particular topic, but it’s also fairly rare that Lenorr sits in this seat. Bery has done her best to teach the pureblood more of what being a pilot means, but it hasn’t been all too easy. She’s still far superior with a lightsaber than a ship.  
The facilities they’re heading towards currently seems to have a shield above it, probably to protect it from aerial assaults, which means they can’t just burst in.

They feel how the Hypertrail vibrates when it’s hit from something behind, but not quite as heavily as the previous ones. Bery checks the radar and frowns.  
“Ah, shit. They’ve sent fighters against us, the assholes. Malgus really stole a lot, didn’t he?”  
She pushes the button to the intercom.  
“Bowdaar, get on the cannon controls, will ya? I don’t have time to deal with it right now.”

They hear his howling voice over the speakers in confirmation, while Lenorr uses a different communication unit.  
“Imperial base 107-6330-AS, this is Lenorr Evintok of the Hypertrail, here on orders from Darth Marr of the Dark Council. We’ve come to deliver supplies, but you must lower your shields momentarily.”

The two of them wait for several silent seconds, with the tension growing thicker for each one that the shield remains active on. The starfighters eventually give up, especially when one of them gets critically damaged, and turn around, not willing to risk it. Despite the danger, Bery doesn’t stop. She doesn’t increase speed either, but she hopes that the imps will realize what’s going on in time.  
It seems they do, for the shields are turned off at the last second and the Hypertrail flies in behind them just before they go back up. It’s likely that the starfighters shooting at them gave away their allegiance.

After a pretty smooth landing, Bery gets up from her seat and pats Lenorr’s shoulder.  
“Well done with the shields, babe. You deal with the imps over the comms and I’ll head down to the hangar bay and start pulling the supplies out.”

“Alright, just don’t upset any of them, though, will you? Remember, they’re our allies.”

Bery smirks.  
“Ah, don’t worry, I’m totally not going to tell them off for being so damn slow to let us in or anything.”

While Lenorr rolls her eyes, she doesn’t respond, knowing it’s useless to get into this kind of argument when Bery is just messing.  
A few minutes later, the cargo bay hatch has opened up and Bery is aided by Bowdaar as they begin pulling the supply crates out on the landing area. The noise of the battle in the distant is still very much present, but that does not seem to have scared off the local soldiers. A small group of imperial troops have gathered, most of them waiting with guns, albeit not aimed at the ship.

“No need to wet your pants, boys and girls”, Bery calls over to them, “just bringing in some more resources for ya, courtesy of Darth Marr.”

Most of them seem to relax when they hear it, except for one man. A light-skinned human with a thin black beard and slightly different outfit, possibly that of an officer, eyes her skeptically and then shakes his head.  
“You were ordered by a Dark Councilor to deliver this shipment to us?”

Bery arches her brow skeptically.  
“Yeah, that’s right. You got a problem with that?”

He scoffs soon after.  
“It really must be a sad state of affairs for the Empire, if we have to rely on someone like you.”

She stops the electronic pallet jack she was using in the middle of moving another crate and Bowdaar slows down his work as well, watching the proceedings. He’s probably stronger than any of these humans, but they are kind of outnumbered.  
“And what the hell is that supposed to mean?”, she asks.

“Shouldn’t that be obvious to you? We’re asking outsiders to aid us with critical tasks, which should be imperial work.”

Her look changes into a frown, knowing exactly what he’s talking about. He says ‘outsiders’, but what he means is ‘aliens’.  
“Is that so? Huh. Okay, well, if you don’t want any help, guess I could always take ‘em back and leave, right? I’m sure this isn’t important to your base or anything.”

The other soldiers hesitate, obviously not wanting to fight when they could be resupplied, but the officer is less lenient. He returns a similar gaze to her.  
“So the Empire gives you work and a chance to get paid, and you don’t even want it? Typical. Useless smugglers”, he mutters.

Before Bery even has a chance to respond in the way she meant to, someone else approaches the area from the side.  
“Lieutenant, you may wish to retract that statement”, a rather soft voice says, still with an imperial accent.

“How so?”, he asks without looking at the new arrival. “She comes in here acting as if we should be indebted to her. We are the Sith Empire, and we do not beg.”

He turns towards the approaching woman, one who isn’t particularly tall, only slightly reaching above Bery’s height. It’s hard to see her face, as she’s wearing a set of black and red robes with the hood up, which covers her features.  
When he looks at her, he only has a brief moment to widen his eyes before he feels how an invisible grasp seizes his throat and lifts him into the air.

“Because I do not appreciate the way you address Captain Shodem, using such rude phrases. She is worthy of respect for her actions.”

This Sith, which Bery can only assume she is, speaks unexpectedly calmly, without any perceivable glee in her voice. The Lieutenant’s hands grasp at his throat, instinctively trying to free it up, but there’s nothing to touch.  
“M-my lord, I…I apologize…I didn’t…”, he strains to emit, barely being able to get the words out.

“I do not want your apologies, Lieutenant. One who might, however, is the Captain here. I would prefer if you direct your sincerest regrets for your previous attitude towards her.”

“Y-yes…my lord.  
Captain…Captain Shodem, I…I apologize for my rudeness. Please, forgive me…”

The words can be heard, probably indicating that this Sith released her hold at least slightly for him to do so. Bery clears her own throat, looking kinda unsure.  
“Uh, yeah…sure. I forgive you.”

The Sith nods.  
“Very gracious of you, Captain”, the Sith says and drops the officer. “Scurry off, Lieutenant. You are no longer needed.”

He does as he’s told, while the other soldiers stand more at attention than they did before.  
Bery turns towards the other woman, still not being able to fully see her and she hesitates about what to say.  
“Well, that was…something. Rarely meet any Sith who gives a crap about me in the Empire. I guess I should thank you. So, yeah, thanks.”

“No need. I simply do not want anyone to treat members of the Evintok family with such disrespect.”

Bery tilts her head curiously, crosses her arms and leans back against the closest crate.  
“Uh, well, technically, I’m not a member.”

“Not yet, no, but I have a feeling you will be in time. That is what I have heard my brother assuming, at least.”

“Your brother?”

Bery looks rather confused until the woman pulls off her hood. Underneath, she can see the familiar crimson red skin of a pureblood. Her eyes are orange and her short black hair is placed in a somewhat messy overturned style. She only has one set of ridges as eyebrows and the spurs growing from her chin are much smaller than those on Lenorr. She has the typical golden jewelry around her head too, specifically as small dots over her nose, at the edges of her mouth as well as down the front of her neck. She also carries two golden earrings.  
Similarly to her sister, she has freckles over her nose and underneath her eyes.

“Allow me to introduce myself – Nidesa Evintok, apprentice Sith in the Sphere of Defense of the Empire.”

Not only does Bery widen her eyes, she also starts to smile somewhat.  
“Oh…shit, you’re Lenorr’s sister!”

Nidesa returns a small one of her own.  
“Correct. I suppose you would have noticed, even without the name.”

The Captain pushes herself away from the crates and walks over to the younger woman.  
“Hah, I never thought I’d see you! She has told me a lot about you, how you’ve been training and stuff. You’re a lot cuter than what you appear like in pictures, though.  
Are you in charge of this camp?”

Nidesa inclines her head.  
“Yes, I am. There are only two Sith at this base, and I am one of them. Others have had to relocate elsewhere. Your supplies came at a very opportune moment.”

They are interrupted shortly after, as another voice can be heard from the cargo bay.  
“Wait…Nidesa?”  
Both of them turn to look towards Lenorr, who is watching them with mild shock in her eyes.  
“I felt an eruption in the Force and got worried, but I didn’t expect…”

Without hesitation, Nidesa turns towards Lenorr, strides up to her and then embraces her gently. The other Sith isn’t sure what to do, but tries her best to return the hug. It seems Nidesa isn’t all too into loud gestures, but she does appreciate intimacy, at least.  
“It’s good to see you again, Lenorr. My master sent me a message, saying that he would ask the best to transport supplies to us, but this was much better than I anticipated.”

Lenorr blinks a few times, confused by what she’s hearing.  
“Pardon? Are you saying that…you are the apprentice of Darth Marr?”

Nidesa offers her sister a small smile as she leans back.  
“Indeed I am. Surprised?”

“Well…yes! No one has said anything about this to me yet.”

“You have been outside of Sith politics for quite a while, so it is not an unexpected notion.  
During my time in the academy, representatives of Marr kept their eyes on me. They watched my progress and eventually found a way to contact me. Before my acolyte period was even over, Marr had already expressed interest. Naturally, I eagerly accepted the offer.”

It’s hard to say if Lenorr should be happy for her sister, or concerned, when considering how she might be targeted by dangerous rivals. For now, she settles on a smile.  
“I never would’ve thought you’d gain such a powerful and notorious master.”

Nidesa looks a bit amused.  
“No? You didn’t believe in me?”

Lenorr leaves her mouth open in hesitation to begin with, realizing that she may have inadvertently insulted Nidesa.  
“Wait, no, that’s…that’s not what I meant. Of course I believe in you! I just wasn’t sure if I was the only one.”

They hear how Bery laughs from where she’s standing.  
“You two are kinda funny. We gotta chat some more later on. Now that we know who we’re working with, we’ll be glad to help out with anything you need from us.”

Nidesa nods back at her.  
“Certainly. I would love to spend more time with the two of you, when we’re not in battle. I do have a lot of questions, after all.”

Lenorr clears her throat somewhat awkwardly. She somehow feels like she’s pretty sure what those questions will be about.  
“Lovely. I’m sure we will want to prepare ourselves for that.”

Before anyone else can say something, they hear an explosion to the west, near the edge of the shield. It was so close that most of the people can feel slight vibrations through the ground, which means it probably happened just outside the base’s perimeter.  
Unfortunately, this is no imagination, as a whole array of footsteps follow this eruption, and people in heavy armors of several different colors come running straight towards the group. They advance like soldiers, albeit somewhat less coordinated.

“Damn”, Nidesa says, before she raises her voice. “Enemies incoming! We’ve got rogue mandalorians in the base!”

Whatever the shield protects against, it doesn’t seem like infantry is included in that equation. Perhaps they should feel somewhat lucky, though, that mandalorians prefer a straight fight rather than bringing in heavier vehicles, which is probably something they could’ve done.  
Both Lenorr and Nidesa get ready to fight, pulling out their lightsabers and igniting them. The Hypertrail may not be here for combat, but they will help out if they can.

Bery and Bowdaar both draw their own guns, taking cover behind the crates, while the Sith rush into battle, deflecting blaster shots and leaping into the air to gain more ground. Bery notes that Nidesa uses different weapons than her sister. Lenorr wields a double-bladed hilt, but the younger sister seems to prefer twin one-handed sabers. She has an orange in left, and a yellow in the other, compared to Lenorr’s red.

Early on in the fight, Bery witnesses what it is that Marr probably saw in Nidesa as well. As she leans over the crate to fire a few blaster shots every now and then, she spots the pureblood dancing over the battlefield. Her swordsmanship is better than what one might expect from an apprentice. She’s incredibly fast, very precise – both with slashing and blocking – and has amazingly sharp reflexes. She deflects shot after shot, even managing to throw a few back, and once she gets within range, some of them try to challenge her to melee combat. This is a mistake.  
She gets into a duel with three of them, and thanks to her blades, she manages to block two off at the same time, before she ducks beneath the third. During her counterattack, she trips the third one by kicking at their legs, utilizes the Force on them to throw this person into one of the other opponents and then turns all her might at the last, sending a barrage of slashes and stabs. Once this one falls, she makes sure to finish the other two off as well.

Lenorr does her best to distract a lot of the other mandalorians, acting as a frontline defensive barrier to keep the shots away from the troops. It doesn’t work to a 100%, but it prevents most other mandalorians from getting too close. When given the chance, she leaps forward to slice at what prey she can reach, digging her blade into the sturdy armors of her opponents. They are definitely tougher to face than Republic soldiers, but these must not be their best.

Unfortunately, it seems that part of this was a diversion, as when Bery and Bowdaar help out from afar, they suddenly notice how more enemies come pouring down from the roof of the Hypertrail. They must have gotten on top of the vessel while the fight was raging from another flank, so that they could go directly for the supplies. This means that there’s only one line of defenses against them, and that’s the two crew members of the ship.

A few of them attack Bowdaar, but Bery also gets at least two opponents in close range. The first one tries to cut at her with a vibrosword, but she ducks and then rolls away, trying to leap behind cover as the second fires a rifle after her. After hiding herself, she tosses out a flash grenade, making the gunner take cover, but the sword-wielding foe apparently doesn’t think this far and finds himself temporarily blinded. She seizes the opportunity to shoot him down with both blaster revolvers, before she turns her guns at the other mandalorian, suppressing their position so that she can find a different flank.

Unfortunately, a third one jumps down from the roof, and does so at quite a close range as well, enough to reach her with a blade. They pull out a vibrodagger, but doesn’t attack immediately. Instead, they tackle her, using their strength to knock her to the ground, and then pounces on her. She manages to roll away to avoid vital areas, but does not escape the strike entirely. Instead, it digs right into her shoulder and then keeps slicing, creating an even bigger wound. Bery drops one weapon and opens her mouth to scream in agony.

Lenorr’s instincts immediately kick in and she turns towards the sound.  
“Bery!”

The Sith tries to get to her girlfriend, but she is unfortunately kept occupied by the mandalorians still swarming from every angle, so she cannot move with haste. This obviously doesn’t stop her from attempting something drastic anyhow.  
While she worries for Bery and sees how the enemy is trying to hold the twi’lek down, strangling her while they do their best to pull out the weapon, another foe comes out of nowhere. Nidesa flies towards the warrior with her lightsabers, and when they get ahold of the dagger, they have to use it to defend against the Sith instead. Nidesa utilizes a barrage of slashes, driving the warrior back, away from her sister’s girlfriend, and even though the other mandalorian in this area tries to help out, they do not get any good shot at her either.

As the gun-wielding mando focuses on the Sith, they have completely forgotten about Bery, who manages to struggle and lift up her uninjured side, raising her revolver and shoots them down with several shots into the chest and head.  
Almost simultaneously, Nidesa finds a weak spot in her own opponent’s defenses, by going under one of their attacks and then utilizes a lightsaber to cut off their leg. Once they begin their fall to the ground, Nidesa jumps up and with an impressively precise attack, decapitates them.

As her own fight is finally over, Lenorr has hurried over to her girlfriend’s side, seeing the rather gruesome wound around Bery’s shoulder. There’s blood everywhere, and the arm can hardly even move.  
“Bery? Bery can you hear me?”

The twi’lek is breathing rather heavily, groaning because of the pain. It’s rare that she gets injured, even more so that she gets cut open.  
“Fuck! Yes, yes, I hear you! Just…”

She doesn’t even manage to finish the sentence and after Nidesa has helped Bowdaar take down the last few mandalorians nearby, Lenorr faces the wookiee.  
“Bowdaar, get some kolto! Hurry! Tear into the supply boxes if you have to!”

The wookiee is a little surprised by her eagerness, but he soon understands, giving her a grim look as he nods. He doesn’t need to go very far before Nidesa speaks.  
“That will not be necessary. Lenorr, lift her up and take her with you into our base. We have a healer in there who can help the Captain out as efficiently as any kolto. He is a very talented member of the Sphere of Biotic Science.”

Lenorr is already holding onto Bery, clutching the twi’lek in her arms, refusing to let her go. She doesn’t care that her own clothes become bloodied as well.  
“Nidy…while I respect your opinion, I doubt there’s anyone who can do this as well as actual medpacks could.”

Nidesa puts a hand on her sister’s shoulder and looks deeply into her eyes.  
“Do you trust me? I promise, you will agree with me. Just follow and see for yourself.”

After studying her sister’s eyes for several seconds, Lenorr takes a deep breath, nods and then lifts Bery up. Together, they move into the nearby buildings, running at a very quick pace, as long as it doesn’t hurt Bery. Lenorr is carrying the Captain alone, practically cradling her, while the twi’lek herself seems to be distracted by the pain.  
Within the walls of the facility, they notice how several sickbeds have already been prepared. There’s no more than two medics taking care of all of the injured soldiers and staff members, but there’s also one more peculiar person that might do even more.

A pureblood moves around the wounded, wearing a set of long violet and black robes. His skin is red, of course, but somewhat paler than that of Nidesa and Lenorr. His orange eyes are the same as theirs, and while he has spurs growing out from his chin, he has also some stalks from the side of his head and ones that form thick eyebrows. There’s an array of ridges growing over his skin, mostly focused on the forehead. Instead of freckles, he has black dots, something that could be seen as dark side corruption, but it’s hard to tell. He has black dreadlocks as hair, and in terms of jewelry, his is silver instead of gold and only covers the bridge and sides of his nose.

The most intriguing part about him is the red and purple aura which seems to glow around his body while he utilizes some kind of powerful Force technique. It’s not always the healthiest way for a Sith to try to heal others, depending on their strength and what abilities they utilize, but this man seems to circumvent it. He has fleshy pouches hanging from his clothes, attached through ropes, which he draws power from. Whenever he does, he siphons energy from them onto the people around him, slowly healing their wounds, like a transfer of life.

To Lenorr, this is somewhat familiar, as she realizes that it is some kind of Sith alchemical creations. She has seen similar things in the past, back home. She is still surprised when they close in on him and she speaks his name.  
“Aurosh?”, she asks, recognizing her older brother.

The fairly tall man, only slightly below her, shifts his gaze towards her and widens his eyes.  
“Lenorr? What are you doing here?”

“Darth Marr sent for them, brother. She and the ship she came on are here to deliver the supplies.  
Unfortunately, rogue mandalorians attacked us after they landed. Captain Shodem here got injured during the strike. She could use some medical aid.”

Aurosh seems surprised at first, but then somewhat skeptical as he eyes the twi’lek, now that they’re so close.  
“I…see. Well, we have some kolto here if you need it.”

Nidesa shakes her head.  
“Aurosh, please, she’s seriously injured, as one of the warriors cut into her with a vibroblade. She needs help right away.”

He hesitates when he views the Captain lying there in his sister’s arms. Usually, he’s a pretty humorous guy, but with the situation they find themselves in, he’s not in great spirits. They also know that he somewhat shares their parents’ views on aliens, even if not to the same degree.  
“But you said she is…Captain Shodem? The woman who killed the Voidwolf? Why would we treat her?”

Nidesa sighs.  
“Please…don’t argue with me. She deserves this.”

“I have imperial troops that are injured here, Nidy. I can’t just-“

“We owe her. She may have just saved us by flying to this planet during the middle of a battle and she’s not even a soldier. You can’t just ignore her.”

“Besides”, Lenorr interjects, “she did not kill the Voidwolf alone. I was there with her. Would you ignore me as well, if I was injured?”

He opens his mouth and looks at his sister, but can’t give any other response than the expected.  
“…you know I wouldn’t, but…that’s different.”

“Is it? How?”

“You are one of us, an Evintok.”

Nidesa puts a hand on her brother’s arm.  
“Aurosh, she will be one of us soon. Are you just going to dismiss her that easily?”

The healer looks into his sister’s eyes, trying to make her give in, but she doesn’t relent. When he faces his oldest little sister, he gains the same result. It seems these two women are very adamant in their cause.  
After sighing, he gestures with his arms.  
“Alright, fine. Place her on the next bed and move aside.”  
They do as he asks and Aurosh then leans down towards the Captain. He tears away some of the shirt that blocks his view and uses one of the disposal towels to clean away some of the blood.  
“A vibroblade, you say? Yes, I can see the damage. It cut rather deep, it seems. She will need kolto later to mend some of the internal bleeding, but I can certainly close the wounds up for the time being.”

Lenorr swallows, still nervous for her girlfriend, afraid she might lose her anyway.  
“Do you require life force to pull from? You can take some from me.”

“No need. I have a bunch of special blood sacs which I crafted from some old Sith alchemy designs. Just give me some space.”

They follow his instructions and then watch him work. The dark aura surrounds him once more, appearing like violet lights and black smoke, which finds its way into Bery’s flesh and almost magically puts it back together. Lenorr has to say that she’s rather impressed to see how good her brother has gotten at this. She knew he was talented, but she hasn’t witnessed him doing this sort of thing directly in quite a while.

After another minute or two, Bery’s breathing returns to normal and Aurosh stops, raises a hand to wipe his brow and then looks up at his sisters.  
“She will need some rest and time to recover, but she should be fine.”

Lenorr nods, looking at her girlfriend in relief. Shortly after, she places a hand at her brother’s shoulder and squeezes it.  
“Thank you, Aurosh. You don’t know how much this means to me.”

He rises from his seat and only exhales.  
“Sorry, I have much more to do. I can’t focus on talking right now.”

As he leaves, Lenorr looks a little bit disappointed, and Nidesa seems rather reluctant herself.  
“I’m sorry. You know how he gets and…well, we’ve ended up in quite a mess. He will open up later.”

“I know. I will speak to him when I get the chance.”  
She then looks at Nidesa instead and caresses her cheek.  
“In the meantime, I want to thank you. You saved her and that means a lot to me. I won’t forget this.”

Nidesa offers her older sister a gentle smile and then moves in to hug her once more.  
“No need. We are family and I will protect both of you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _Yeah, I...I just can't help it when I write sisters. I need them to hug each other. At least Bery and Lenorr's sisters._   
>  _If you want a better visual reference, I have screenshots of both Nidesa and Aurosh on that link from the first chapter. His appearance in this chapter was a bit brief, but both of them will be back at a later date in a calmer setting (along with Sevatan, the second brother)._


	7. Starshine promises

While it’s not always perfect and she can’t claim that every minute is enjoyable, Risha wouldn’t say she regrets getting an office in Port Zodric. She had a great amount of fun on Bery’s ship during the crazy year or two that it took to establish themselves properly in the galaxy, but she was very satisfied that they managed to work hard enough to eventually increase their status.  
Using a lot of their resources to found a company, rather than relying on becoming pirates or creating another crime organization, was a great choice in her mind, no matter who her father used to be. After all, hadn’t he done everything in his life to help reclaim their throne? Sure, the conclusion of his advice for her wasn’t great, but she still believed in his dream. She doubts he would’ve wanted her to return into the shadows of the galaxy.

Most days, Risha is very satisfied with her location, both in the galaxy and in Bery’s so-called ‘powerbase’, if that’s a good term to use. They’re more equal than it would seem, and Risha can do practically anything she wants, even if most of that tends to include improving the opportunities for their organization. On top of this, sitting in a more professional location, being dressed in finer clothes and handling more administrative tasks, is a whole lot more enjoyable than constantly being stuck on the Hypertrail. It’s a great ship, and she does occasionally miss the engine room – which is the only reason she ever comes back to it – but it is also good to be out of it, to find herself in a calmer setting. Some days, she feels as if this is a preparational stage for what taking the throne will be like, something that will hopefully happen at some point.

Unfortunately, there are certain situations that make her long for the Hypertrail again, not just for the environment that it offers, but the safety. She misses being able to rely on the fact that Akaavi, Bowdaar and Lenorr were around, as she never really felt afraid. Not that she’s constantly fearful on the station, but there are elements which unavoidably increase certain doubtful sensations, such as what she’s currently doing.

While sitting behind her desk today, dressed in a simple dark blue suit, a maroon-colored shirt underneath and a long skirt below, she’s faced with two holograms on projectors that are connected to her desk.  
One of them is a very familiar face, a man that she has met several times by now – the aged moss-green nautolan and owner of the space station, Kemmet Vhir. On the projector, he’s standing in a set of dark grey robes, holding some kind of cane in his hands and he looks fairly undeterred by the conversation.  
The other person is another man, with chalk-white skin and a bald head, along with several lines and symbols in black as tattoos over his face. Except for these, Risha can also see a few metal pieces, as well as clearly artificial green eyes. This man seems more agitated, and Risha knows him as the rattataki cyborg Adrent, one of the more important representatives within the Silcore Syndicate, who see themselves as a rather influence presence on the station. Adrent is dressed in a black suit and pants, but his sleeves are pulled up, showing even more tattoos underneath.

“Do you realize what I’m saying, miss Drayen?”, he tells her while he points at her as well. His voice is very deep and somewhat gruff. “I’m not particularly pleased about certain movements I’ve seen from your company throughout Port Zodric. You’ve been making a lot of strides around here, imposing your agenda on districts you shouldn’t be touching yet for several years. My associates don’t appreciate such ‘bold’ moves, and several other syndicates agree.  
You people haven’t been here for as long as the rest of us, and if you don’t take a step back, use some sense and respect boundaries, our reaction might be…quite volatile.”

Risha furrows her brow as she tries to stay as unmoved as possible, but it’s not exactly a simple concept to embrace. When he says ‘associates’, she knows he actually means bosses, and the volatile measures can easily be translated to ‘violent’.  
After he’s done, she clears her throat and corrects her jacket, before she continues.  
“That is a very dramatic statement to make, mister Adrent, and one I would say is quite unnecessary. First of all, do you even have any proof behind this supposed effect that we have had on you or your syndicate whatsoever? And I mean that in a very direct way.”

Adrent still looks rather fierce, ready for a fight if need be, but he doesn’t have anything to counteract what she’s saying.  
“…nothing that I would like to present here.”

“I see. How convenient.  
Do you have any contacts within these mentioned ‘other syndicates’, who supposedly oppose our work as well?”

He emits a brief sigh and folds his arms, but the fire is somewhat lessened.  
“None that would be willing to speak here, I believe.”

With this answer, Risha turns to look towards Kemmet.  
“Mister Vhir, with what we have been presented with and due to the very vague nature of these threats, is there really any point in continuing this line of inquiry? Can we justifiably be blamed for something that seems to go nowhere at all?”

Kemmet shakes his head before he glances sideways at Adrent, speaking with his faint accent and even tone.  
“No, you are correct, miss Drayen.  
Mister Adrent, I hope you realize that I cannot do much for you in this situation. You claimed to have good reasons for this meeting, and yet upon presentation, you have practically nothing. It would seem you are mostly wasting all of our times here.”

The rattataki shifts his eyes towards Kemmet and snorts.  
“I’m not sure if you actually believe that, mister Vhir, but rest assured that we are not wasting anyone’s time. We know what we’re doing.”

“Perhaps you wish to use this reasoning, but from what I have seen here today, I cannot agree. Do not return to me with this, unless you have anything substantial.”

Adrent soon stops caring about Kemmet and instead turns to fixate on Risha with a glare.  
“You better be really careful in the future, Drayen. We know what you’re planning, even if this pitiful example of justice won’t touch you. If you and your team go too far, we will notice and respond. It won’t be particularly enjoyable for you or your pathetic little group. Keep that in mind.”

While he likely believes himself to be doing a good job of intimidating her, Risha merely rolls her eyes.  
“Do you think this attitude and all these threats frighten me? I am the daughter of Nok Drayen, friend and partner with Captain Shodem, and I have experienced too many situations close to death during my life, that your meagre display does not even rattle me. Look what happened to the Voidwolf, when he tried to mess with us. Do you really want to take that chance?”

Her claim isn’t unsubstantial, and what they achieved did send shockwaves throughout these sections of the galaxy, meaning that people do have respect for them. It’s probably why they’ve managed to do a lot of business to begin with.  
Adrent, however, doesn’t seem satisfied.  
“We’ll see each other again, princess. You can bet on that.”

He cuts his hologram moments after this, leaving her no chance to retort. Not like she needed to, anyway, as she said what she wanted.  
On the other side, she sees Kemmet shrugging.  
“I apologize for his behavior, miss Drayen. Some of these syndicates are…difficult to negotiate with.”

Risha snorts and offers him a faint smile.  
“Don’t worry, I know all too well. I’ve learned enough after all the years I’ve spent in this business.”

“So I’ve heard. Regardless, I must tell you that I will keep my eyes open for any activity, both from yours and the others.”

“Of course, I would expect nothing less, mister Vhir. I give you my promise right now, that you can be sure we are not responsible for whatever Adrent is complaining about. I’m certain that our actions in the coming weeks and months will prove this.”

“Let us hope so.”

Almost as soon as the other call is over as well, she notes how the silvery protocol droid that is stationed in her lobby has been waiting, and now seems to try to get her attention.  
“Master Drayen? You have a guest.”

Risha blinks and then rises from her chair.  
“Guest? I don’t remember having anyone on my schedule right now.”

Instead of letting the droid say anything, it appears that the guest herself has something to say, doing so from the lobby.  
“Well, it wouldn’t be much of a surprise if I told you I was coming.”

Shortly after this, the woman walks through the door, showing herself to Risha with a small smile on her lips. Risha widens her eyes.  
“Sumalee? Well…this certainly is a surprise.”

The togruta enter the room dressed in a set of beige robes, with a black shirt underneath and some white-brown pants. For now, she holds her arms behind her back and a gentle expression on her face.  
“And a good one, I hope?”

Trying to hide her previous expression, Risha smiles and folds her arms.  
“That remains to be seen.”

“Heh, well, I didn’t want to interrupt you in the middle of a conversation. Seemed like you were having a pretty serious call and it would be rude to just barge in.”

Risha shrugs it off and steps away from the desk, approaching the Jedi’s location.  
“Perhaps, but you shouldn’t worry about such things. You are more important.”

“Glad to hear it. Oh, and…”  
Before they reach each other, Sumalee pulls out her arms and reveals what she was hiding – it’s a bouquet of bright purple flowers, shaped almost like a depiction of stars, which seem to emit a very faint yellow glow in certain sections.  
“Brought you something special for your office.”

As if she couldn’t get any more astonished with her girlfriend’s appearance. Risha tilts her head curiously, extending her hands to take them.  
“What’s this? Flowers?”

“Mhm. They’re called, uh…”  
She raises a hand to scratch her cheek in thought.  
“…damn, I can’t remember anymore. Anyway, they’re very rare, only available on the neutral world of Amgarran in the Mid Rim. Cost me quite a few credits, but I felt like you were worth it.”

Risha looks even more amused by it, wondering if that story is true or not, but this might not be a crucial detail.  
“Thank you. I like them, although it is fairly unusual, coming from you.”

Sumalee shrugs in return.  
“Maybe so, but I wanted to show that I can do this kind of stuff too. It’s not only you who can treat people, you know.”

Not like they buy gifts for each other all the time, but it makes Risha chuckle anyway.  
“I would say you’re being stupid, but I’m just glad to see you.”

“Mm, good to know for the future.”

As she holds the flowers, Risha still turns them aside, as she wants to display her appreciation, and she holds her free hand out, wrapping it around Sumalee’s neck. In the meantime, the Jedi stretches both of hers towards Risha’s waist, pulling her in close. They meet in the middle, shutting their eyes as they join in an eager kiss. Traces of something creamy can be sensed within Sumalee’s mouth, making Risha assume she ate recently. For the most part, she’s simply distracted by the thought of the Jedi being here at all. It’s something she has craved for a while.

When their lips part, Risha licks her own a bit further, to somehow imprint the sensation within her. Best not to forget it. Shortly after that, she resumes to look at Sumalee.  
“So, what brought you to the station? Is the Jedi Council aware of your arrival?”

While the togruta meets her eyes at first, they soon drift away, and she clears her throat.  
“Well…technically, they know I left my previous post to attend to some important meeting. I didn’t specify the exact details, though.”

A small grin spreads on Risha’s face as she leans close, nudging her nose into Sumalee’s cheek.  
"Hmm, lying to the Council? Sounds like you’re not being a very good Jedi, dear. Perhaps you’re not fit for it after all.”

Sumalee smirks, having at least slightly expected this reaction. Risha is mostly teasing, she thinks, but the former mechanic does so rather often. At the same time, one of Sumalee’s lekkus rises to instead run its tip along one of Risha’s shoulders.  
“You know that doesn’t necessarily prove anything, right? Other than that I’ll make sacrifices for people I care about.”

“I thought the only thing important to Jedi was the Code.”

“Yeah, well…some of us have a different philosophy.”

Utilizing the Force, Sumalee carefully sends the flowers towards Risha’s desk, freeing up the human’s other hand to join in the intimate moment they’re sharing. For the next minute or so, they get rather cuddly, and somewhat suggestive, as they continue kissing one another, slowly and deliberately for now, even if it does get fairly deep. Sumalee’s hands stroke down Risha’s sides, until they can stop at her hips to caress them gently. One finger on each side teases her girlfriend somewhat, by pushing in beneath the skirt, but doesn’t go too far.  
At the same time, Risha slides and drags her body against the Jedi’s, but her hands do not stay still at all times. While one sits rather securely at the back of the neck, the other travels down one of Sumalee’s lekkus, knowing the right spots which elicit appropriate and pleasant gasps.

When they finally feel that they’ve enjoyed themselves enough for now, before things get too steamy, Sumalee breaks the kiss, leaving a hand on Risha’s hair to stroke a few fingers through it.  
“So, what was that call about?

Risha doesn’t even open her eyes, tilting her head downwards to nuzzle into Sumalee’s shoulder.  
“Nothing special, really. Just the usual business of being on Port Zodric. People start to shout, complain and puff out their chests, but few things ever come of it. Vhir doesn’t want any open conflicts here, so he often steps in between, and he almost always wins.”

“Vhir?”

“Yeah, the guy in charge. I’ve told you about him, right? Old nautolan, been in this part of the galaxy for ages. Most who come here don’t want to piss him off, since he’s both a good ally to have and a pretty scary man, if he gets angry. It’s fairly easy to befriend him, though, if you just act professional.”

Sumalee doesn’t get too worried, mostly because she knows Risha can handle herself, but that doesn’t mean none exists at all.  
“Well, if you need someone to guard your back, you’ve got my frequency, right?”

Risha leans away somewhat and looks at Sumalee with an arched and amused eyebrow.  
“Are you saying that I can get a Jedi bodyguard at a moment’s notice? That’s dangerous knowledge to have, which I will absolutely misuse.”

While there’s a slight chance she might be serious, Sumalee chuckles anyway and pokes Risha’s nose playfully.  
“You are ridiculous.”

“Only when you’re around”, Risha says with an added wink. Shortly after, she separates from her companion and goes to find some water for the flowers.

Sumalee follows her, but not all too closely.  
“Well, anyway, I came here because I was wondering if you wanted to spend some time together.”

It’s not like Risha keeps a lot of stuff around that can work for this purpose, but for now, she locates a circular plastic canister that she takes to the sink she has in here.  
“Do you actually have time for that? There’s a war going on, or so I’ve heard. You must be busy.”

“Yeah, true, but I managed to get some time off, which is why I came here. Wanted to make sure that you don’t get too lonely in this big office of yours.”

Risha gives her an amused glance, and after she puts the flowers down, placing them on a nearby table along one of the walls, she faces her companion, snakes her arms around Sumalee’s waist and kisses her once more. This one is more tender and slightly briefer.  
“That’s very sweet of you, but I do have a lot of work to finish right now. Perhaps later tonight would be better.”

Being satisfied with her response, Risha tries to slide past Sumalee, to get behind her desk again, but it appears that the Jedi has other plans. It isn’t long until she feels a hand wrapped around her wrist, preventing her from moving.  
“Hold on a moment. Look, I’m sure you probably have a lot to do, as you’re usually pretty busy, but since I managed to come here, can’t you just take at least one day off? Please? For me?”

She hadn’t quite expected this much resistance, and there’s an intrigued glint in Risha’s eyes as she glances over her shoulders.  
“You’re pretty determined, aren’t you?”

There isn’t outright pleading in Sumalee’s eyes, but she is at least tentatively waiting for another response.  
“I went through a lot to get this opportunity. I’ll do anything you want.”

Now those are the type of words that can really swing Risha around on an issue. She gradually turns back, steps in exceptionally close to her girlfriend, almost leaning against Sumalee again, and pushes their lips so near one another that they’re practically brushing, in an exceedingly teasing manner.  
“ _Anything_ , you say?”

Sumalee has shut her eyes, likely trying to simply enjoy the sensation, the act of being tempted. Perhaps Risha’s past worries were for naught.  
“Yes. I know I’m going to regret it, but for you, I’m willing to make that sacrifice.”

A most satisfying response, but Risha still won’t give in that easily. She smirks and raises her hand, caressing Sumalee’s chin.  
“Hmm. This isn’t some Republic ploy, is it? You have surely heard by now that we deal with the Empire.”

Once more meeting her girlfriend’s gaze, Sumalee looks somewhat smug, but it’s hard to tell if she’s being serious.  
“Excuse me? Not sure what you’re talking about. I would never be sent here by the Republic, certainly not by the SIS, to specifically distract you or anything.”

Risha is at least _mostly_ sure that Sumalee is joking, but it’s a type of game she doesn’t mind playing.  
“Don’t they know that’s risky? Something might happen to you.”

“Like what?”

Tilting her head forward, she takes a moment to gently bite into Sumalee’s lower lip, albeit never fully completing the kiss that the togruta wants. She ends it before going any further.  
“Like I might take you as my prisoner and never return you, so that you’ll have to quit the Order”, she whispers.

Sumalee chuckles, before turning her head towards Risha’s ear and starts nibbling on it, giving her better access to speak much more directly.  
“I wouldn’t mind accepting that challenge.”

After feeling some more ministrations in that area, knowing how much she enjoys it, Risha gasps and ends up being the one shutting her eyes instead.  
“Dammit…  
Alright, you win. I’ll take _one_ day off, but that's it.”

Seeming very satisfied with this conclusion, Sumalee lets them face each other again, nudging their noses together.  
“We’re gonna have a lot of fun.”

“Of course we are, since you’re going to do whatever I say.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _The focus in this fic is on Lenorr/Bery/Acina, but there'll be more Risha/Sumalee later on._   
>  _The syndicate guy will return too. I did mention there'd be underworld intrigue, right?_


	8. A similar blood

From what Lenorr has come to understand by cooperating with a Dark Councilor in the last several weeks, it’s that they are not only forced to constantly stay busy, but to also be very flexible. She had known this from Vowrawn before, but he always seemed to be so on top of things, constantly knowing what to do or when to divert various duties to others, so that he didn’t appear to get overwhelmed. It doesn’t seem that it is quite that simple with Acina.

When Lenorr was called in to meet the head of Technology, she assumed that they’d be doing so on Dromund Kaas, but apparently, Acina isn’t even active on that world for the time being. In fact, she is rarely on it all these days, from what Lenorr’s message said, and she instead had to head further into imperial space, to locate the facility that the Dark Councilor is in. Perhaps it shouldn’t be so surprising, but it does indicate what sort of lifestyle that Acina is probably getting used to.

When she arrives and walks through the Sphere’s somewhat smaller domain on this planet, albeit still with a similar appearance to the headquarters back in the Imperial Citadel, she notices how quite a few people eye her with interest. Some even seem to recognize her, which is slightly confusing, seeing as how their team hasn’t been here before. Has Acina told others to keep their eyes open for them, as to not get in the way, or is the partnership just becoming common knowledge? Perhaps it doesn’t matter.

Unexpectedly, the office that Lenorr enters at the far end has also been rebuilt to resemble an engineer’s tinkering facility, rather than a typical workspace for a Councilor, or at least if compared to Vowrawn’s installations.  
Acina herself is standing by one of the benches on the side, seemingly staying pretty busy with practical tasks. She holds some kind of laser tool in her hand, leaning over a mechanical part no larger than a medium-sized box. Lenorr can’t quite identify it, but she would assume it belongs to a vehicle. Maybe the engine? The navigational board?

The shorter Sith is currently equipped with sturdy work clothes and protective facial gear, which she keeps on while making detailed corrections to the device in front of her. Lenorr wonders why she doesn’t utilize the Force for this, but perhaps that energy can’t be applied with the same kind of precision.  
Either way, once Lenorr is close enough, it appears that Acina finally acknowledges a presence moving through the Force, which is why she shuts off her tool and pulls up the protective mask. Her expression is neutral at first, until she notices who it is, and she smiles.

“Ahh, there you are. Good to see you again.”  
She glances down at herself momentarily, before she clears her throat.  
“I apologize for my appearance. I believe I must have forgotten the time.”

Lenorr walks up to her, moves her arms behind her own back and shrugs.  
“No need, I do not mind at all, my lord. I doubt I have any authority to complain about your choices, but even so, you should be allowed to walk around however you want, without anyone criticizing you.”

The words enhance Acina’s smile somewhat and she nods.  
“Thank you, I appreciate that, Lord Tremor.”

The last few words are ones she doesn’t hear very often nowadays, which is why she looks contemplative.  
“I suppose I should mention that there’s no reason to use that title. My name is enough, I believe, since I am not a Lord anymore.”

Acina studies her curiously, while putting down her tools on the workbench and removing her gloves.  
“Hmm, true enough. What about Miss or Lady Evintok, then?”

“If you prefer.”

Her choice of words here makes Acina’s eyes glimmer with amusement.  
“Well, if you insist on using formality for me, I believe I should be allowed the same, no?”

Lenorr stares at her to begin with, before she clears her throat.  
“But…you are a Dark Councilor. It would be strange to simply call you ‘Acina’, or whatever your original name was.”

The Councilor chuckles.  
“Then you will have to get used to me utilizing the same logic, as you are still someone special.”  
Perhaps that would be fair, as they don’t really know each other very well yet. Lenorr shrugs to show that she has given in.  
“At any rate, I am glad you could arrive. I assume you came here to discuss business?”

Lenorr nods briefly.  
“Indeed, I did. I came because no one else was currently available for it. You asked to deal with someone in person, and most of our personnel are quite busy right now, even Bery.”

Moving away from the bench and heading further inside the office, Acina nods slowly.  
“Ah, yes, of course. It is understandable, and I apologize if I caused any trouble with this request. However, the reason I called for a physical meeting is because I have another critical task for your team, one similar to the last one you performed. Not the same type, but certainly something I would deem to be…delicate, not what you speak of over the holoprojector.”

“Then that is a reasonable conclusion, I would say.”

“I am glad you agree.”  
Acina stops by the desk she has placed close to the wall in the back and actually sits down on top of the edge on the front, folding her arms as she watches Lenorr.  
“How is the business with our Empire going thus far? Good, I hope?”

The pureblood stays close for now, keeping her attention fully drawn on her client, or whatever Acina should be classified as. It’s a bit strange to think that she deals with a Dark Councilor in this way and not as her superior, like it used to be.  
“As far as I have seen, yes. Risha informed us that the credit transactions as payment have been rolling in on schedule, and we have found a lot of new pilots who stand ready to finish the tasks we distribute among them. I wouldn’t say that this is an ideal situation, exactly, but if you are worried whether we will be able to succeed, there’s no reason to. It’s probably better for us to work under such pressure.”

Acina looks fairly amused when she considers what Lenorr tells her.  
“Somehow, I am not surprised by that. Every member of your crew appears to be very talented, for different reasons.  
I believe this became very clear to me and my Sphere, when the Hypertrail transported our prototype after our first encounter. Not only was it fast, but my personnel were quite intrigued by how efficient it was, and how the equipment was handled carefully, as it should be. It’s obvious that you, your Captain and everyone involved there, have a lot of skill and I’d like to acquire that skill once more. Do you believe Captain Shodem will refuse?”

Lenorr snorts.  
“Hardly. Even though Bery technically sits in a position of leadership within our company, doing this sort of activity is something she loves, especially if your next mission provides her with a challenge.”  
She considers what she just said for only a moment, before she figures it’s best to add some further explanations.  
“Bery isn’t really cut out for the type of office job that one in her position is supposed to have, because she loves flying and action. I guess she could’ve given it to someone else, but she also dislikes being bossed around, and because she can assign all the administrative work to Risha, it’s possible for her to be more hands-on.”

Acina nods with a measure of understanding.  
“Her belief and mindset are not only appreciated, but also useful. I would be very pleased if she could do this for us.”

“What does it entail? More equipment during a similar run?”

“Well, it is a transport, yes, but it does not actually involve any tools. This time, I want you to help me transfer people.”

With a look of interest on her face, Lenorr begins to slowly pace around on the floor.  
“Oh? Some kind of staff members?”

“Hmm, in a way, I suppose, but they don’t actually work for me…yet.  
I want you to help me transfer some people out of Hutt space. A group of brilliant technicians, who are currently employed by the Cartel, sought some of my associates out and expressed an interest in working for the Empire. They apparently haven’t been treated very well and believe that they might suffer quite a few consequences under the new Supreme Mogul’s rule.  
Naturally, we accepted the offer, but there will be some problems extracting them, as the Cartel will likely find out if they try to leave the installation they’re assigned to and might imprison or execute them for treachery. This is why I need a talented and smart pilot to help them.”

While Lenorr is certainly listening, she also spots something along the wall that gets her interest, as it seems familiar. Not wanting to get too distracted, she tries to keep herself in the conversation.  
“Do I know any of these technicians?”

Acina’s eyes are still following her to a certain extent, but also glances towards the datapad she picks up from the desk.  
“Somehow, I doubt it, unless you have some advanced knowledge of engineering and technical staff outside of the Empire.”

Lenorr clears her throat.  
“…probably not. I’m actually not even sure I know any famous imperial engineers who are alive, so this topic is likely not my specialty.”

She receives a smirk from Acina.  
“Thought so. Don’t worry, I am quite aware of their capabilities, as I was sent some of their work previously, before I became a Dark Councilor. We did some collaboration prior to the outbreak of the second Republic war, which is why they were familiar with me and wanted a transfer now that I lead this Sphere.”

“A wise decision on their part, I’d say.”

Acina turns her eyes towards the pureblood again, and Lenorr certainly seems to be in the conversation, but her gaze is constantly drawn elsewhere. It’s possible to just ignore this, but she can’t help being interested.  
“Are you alright, my lady? You seem somewhat distracted.”

Lenorr suddenly blinks and swirls her head towards Acina, and coughs somewhat awkwardly.  
“Ah, I…I apologize for the rudeness, my lord. There was something on your wall that got my attention.”

Turning towards it, Acina scans the area, trying to find what Lenorr might’ve seen.  
“Is there?”

Raising her hand, Lenorr points towards some kind of physical metal plate on the eastern wall. It sort of looks like a plaque in red, with golden letters imprinted on it.  
“The piece over there, isn’t that an award from the Sith Academy on Ziost? I recognize the design, as it’s a very localized prize.”

With an intrigued expression, Acina smiles once more and inclines her head.  
“It is indeed from that academy. It’s called the ‘Badge of Intellectual Prowess’.  
Sith who are born on or get transferred to Ziost have the possibility of doing sections of their acolyte years on that world, and they conduct some special tests during the end of that training, before they go to Korriban. Some of those with the best scores, get rewarded with these.”

Lenorr doesn’t stop her, but she only nods slightly after Acina is done.  
“Yes, I know. I’m from Ziost and I spent time studying there as well.”

“Ah, yes, of course. I should’ve known, as I recognize your accent. I had looked into your records, but I believe I must’ve missed your academy years.”

Some of those years flash past through images in Lenorr’s mind, and thankfully, most of them are pleasant. She turns to look at Acina more curiously afterwards.  
“I’m a little surprised that you would have spent time there, though. You don’t quite sound like a local, although not everyone does, of course. Did you live there?”

“I did, indeed. In fact, I grew up on Ziost, although I was not born on it. Originally, I am from a colony world that did not enter the Empire until the last war, called Delporion.  
Due to the accent of my parents, my long time spent on Dromund Kaas, growing up on Ziost and everything else…well, I suppose my accent is simply a bit all over the place, which is why it might not be noticed as easily.”

Lenorr nods knowingly, realizing to her slight shame that she doesn’t recognize the name of that world, but perhaps it doesn’t matter.  
“Why did your parents leave your homeworld?”

A solemn wave washes over Acina as she considers her answer.  
“Well, they simply felt like it was worth taking the chance to move to Ziost when we joined the Empire. I believe they were hoping to be given better living conditions than what remaining on a world like that would mean.  
In the end, I don’t think anything dramatic happened to Delporion, so it was likely not necessary, but I was given a lot more chances due to being assigned to Ziost’s academy, which is why I’m mostly pleased.”

“Fair enough. Are you the only Sith in your family?”

“Yes, I am. In fact, I’m the only Force user for generations, as far as I know. There’s nothing about Jedi or otherwise in any of my family’s history.”

A rather curious notion for Lenorr, of course, seeing as she’s from a family where everyone uses the Force. Then again, she is not actually human either.  
“Your family must be really proud”, she says with a small smile.

Acina returns a similar expression.  
“Of course, they are. Although, to be honest, they don’t quite understand everything that I do. They realize that Sith rule the Empire, but that’s about it.  
When the overseers first came to their home, telling me that I would become Sith, they were somewhat fearful. The rumors mentioned how Sith forget their families, break out on their own and cut all ties to their pasts. Obviously, they didn’t want to lose their daughter.”

“Understandable, and I wouldn’t really enjoy that concept either.”

She receives a brief nod from the Councilor.  
“Indeed, nor do I. Due to living on Ziost, and being associated with a lot of purebloods in the academy – who often value family – I was sort of taught that cutting ties was not a positive element. Instead, I have embraced my past and my family, as a component of my own being.  
I suppose it has been good to at least prove the strength of the people of Delporion, though, and in general, I do have a somewhat different view from other Sith regarding outsiders, since I technically was one.”

“Hmm, true enough. Don’t think it’s quite the same experience as aliens have, though.”

“Ah, no, definitely not. But I am still thankful for my past, as I do not appreciate the ‘traditional’ view on this element as much.”  
She directs her attention towards the plaque again.  
“The badge I received also made sure to open the eyes of the Sphere of Technology early on, as it does with most who attain it. That is one of its benefits.”

Lenorr follows the gaze back to that item, feeling more nostalgia through her mind.  
“I know of that much, as I received a badge of my own during my time there.”

Acina’s smile widens, even as she looks mildly surprised.  
“Did you? Which one?”

“The Badge of Endless Tenacity.”

“Ahh, of course. It is one for physical prowess, yes?”

“Indeed. It involves a lot of stamina, defensive capabilities, and intelligence on the battlefield.”

Raising a hand up to her face, Acina taps her cheek in thought.  
“But, if I am not mistaken, do not most of the recipients of this award get transferred to the Spheres of Military Strategy or Defense?”

“They do, and I received offers from both, which I turned down.”

Acina arches her brow curiously.  
“And why is that?”

Lenorr shifts her arms behind her back again and takes a deep breath.  
“My choice was twofold, really, based on personal interest and family.  
My House is closest associated with that of Darth Vowrawn, which meant that getting my initiation done was made much easier. On a personal level, I also have a profound respect for everything that Production and Logistics do, which is why I chose that assignment rather than being just another fighter.”

It doesn’t seem that Acina is particularly shocked to hear this, probably due to what Lenorr said on their first real meeting.  
“I remember, and I do respect you for feeling this way. It’s good to have Sith with this mindset.  
In fact, on the general stage, it’s quite unusual for our kind to have any major interest for the Spheres involving science, production, or even history, due to their supposedly ‘boring’ assignments. It can’t be ignored how critical they are, though.”

“You will get no arguments from me, my lord. I suppose that the patience and underlying dedication one must assign to this work, were particular draws for me.”

It’s certainly interesting to analyze this aspect of Lenorr’s personality, but somehow, it also reminds her of another side.  
“I must say, now when you mention this, it makes it all the more fascinating and surprising that you would end up with someone like Captain Shodem.”

Lenorr should be more eager to protest this assumption, as she has heard it before, but she is actually more interested in Acina’s opinion.  
“Why is it shocking to begin with? Because I am pureblood?”

Acina smiles and shakes her head.  
“No, not at all. As I mentioned during our first encounter, I have studied your file.  
I have heard how you previously hunted the Captain for quite some time, trying to kill her. You even wanted to align yourself with the Voidwolf, correct? Though he obviously refused.

It’s been a little while since Lenorr contemplated those days, but perhaps it’s difficult to fully avoid them. It makes her sigh regardless, being reminded of her old self. She runs a hand through her hair, briefly touching the right side, which she still keeps constantly cut short.  
“That year, or however long it was, is something I still consider to be…a foolish time. I was not quite able to appreciate Bery for who she was. I somehow believed that the reason we were pulled together on several occasions was some sort of sign that the Force wanted me to kill her, that it was trying to tell me that Bery is a dangerous enemy of the Empire that must be vanquished. Obviously, I was…mistaken.”

Acina puts both hands on her desk, crossing her legs somewhat.  
“What changed?”

“Well, eventually, I realized that the signs - if they even existed - were ones I had misinterpreted. It seems more likely that they were trying to point out how we belonged together, and that we can do so much more side by side.”

It appears that Acina is quite delighted to hear it, at least by her expression.  
“You believed that you were destined to meet?”

Lenorr clears her throat, looking somewhat embarrassed as she scratches her cheek.  
“I…am unsure. There’s always a possibility, I suppose.  
More importantly, it is abundantly clear to me that Bery is pretty much the best thing that has happened to my life, something I cannot ignore. I know there are other Sith who disapprove of our relationship, but I hope you are not one of them.”

Acina smirks at the hesitation.  
“Did I give you that impression at any point?”

“No, of course not, but…I have learned it’s not always easy to trust my own instincts when I try to read people.”

“Well, if you must know, I actually find your relationship very interesting for several reasons, but I also think your reaction to it is quite reasonable.  
I have spoken to the Captain a few times now, which has made me see that she’s a very alluring and entertaining woman. And, well…it can’t be denied that she’s very attractive too.”

The last section is what gets most of Lenorr’s attention, which is why she looks fairly unamused when she crosses her arms.  
“Mhm.”

Acina chuckles and raises her arms somewhat defensively.  
“No need to give me that face, my lady. I didn’t mean anything by it, as I’m only stating the obvious.  
Besides, she seems very attached to both you and the idea of having a fierce, willful and beautiful Sith at her side. And who can blame her? She’s not the only one, after all.”

With Lenorr arching her brow in a somewhat bewildered manner, Acina merely looks back at her with a smug gaze, before she returns to her workbench.  
Did…did Acina just-  
…she is a very peculiar woman.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _I realize that I don't actually write much with like, obvious accents or dialects, so their conversation might've been a bit weird, I guess. Then again, I wouldn't say that either of them use many words that would justify writing with that type of text._


	9. Cracks in the old

The spaceport outside of Kaas City, past the jungles and swamps surrounding it, is often quite a busy place, filled with new arrivals and various individuals that want to depart. Because it is the capital city on the capital world, it receives an astounding amount of traffic from all over the Empire, as well as from their allies and business partners on the outside. It’s practically impossible to avoid this flow, and because of its prevalence, it is also difficult to gain access when needed, without waiting. Well, for most visitors, anyway.

While a lot of people stand in lines by the various tables and personnel stations, three particular individuals simply walk past these rows without issue. Some of those waiting seems annoyed or even ask what’s going on, but most of the imperials do not. These three stand out very clearly among the rest and have an element which makes it unwise to question them – their red skin. For most natives, that is indicative of natural Force sensitivity, and therefore being a Sith Lord. It’s not always a justified belief, but it’s one that this species rarely disputes.

None of the trio wears the same outfit, but there are aspects of their appearances that make it seem like they might be related, if one knows how to look for such things. The one at the front, a man with short black hair in lines of different thickness, moves with an aura of confidence and professionalism as he addresses the staff member that turns towards them nervously.  
“Greetings. I am Lord Sirrok of the Sphere of Ancient Knowledge. I have a query regarding a certain ship.”

A human behind the counter steps away from her station and clears her throat, in order to service him directly.  
“O-of course, my lord. What can I help you with?”

“I am looking for the ship known as the ‘Hypertrail’. Do you know of it?”

She turns her eyes down to one of the screens nearby, checking the console’s information.  
“I uh, I believe so. Captain Shodem, yes?”

“Correct. I would like to know where it is currently docked.”

The woman suddenly looks unsure, partially due to being addressed by a Lord of the Sith, but he also gets the sense that there’s something more.  
“I…see. My lord, I do not mean to offend you in any way, but the Captain has requested that she should not be disturbed.”

“I understand, but I still wish to see her.”

“…this order has been extended by Darth Imperius of the Dark Council. She is not to be disturbed, if she has not allowed it.”

The woman starts to look very uncertain, as does her colleagues, as if they know what might happen if they defy or offend a Sith. He doesn’t appear particularly perturbed, though.  
“Hmm. Even by one from Imperius' Sphere?”

“I’m afraid so, my lord. She really meant no one.”

While he hesitates in how to proceed, a shorter female pureblood behind him rolls her eyes and takes her position next to him.  
“Tell me, do you know the name of the crew members of that ship? Lenorr Evintok, for example?”

The staff member glances towards the nearby screen again and nods slowly.  
“Yes, of course, the only Sith on board.”

“Correct.”  
She puts her hand on Sirrok’s shoulder.  
“This is Sevatan Evintok. I am Nidesa Evintok. The man on the other side is Aurosh Evintok. We would like to request the opportunity of seeing our sister, please.”  


* * *

  
After Nidesa’s more adequate handling of the spaceport personnel, the Evintok siblings have finally reached the corridors that will lead them to the correct hangar bay. Except for their clothes, they do have a few other things with them, which the two younger siblings are carrying for the most part. Aurosh, who is somewhat more reluctant, have chosen not to involve himself with these materials, something his brother and sister realized already.

Along the way, Sevatan turns to glance at his younger sister.  
“So, you’re already getting influenced by Marr, hmm?”

Nidesa seems mildly amused as she looks back at him.  
“Not sure if that is a mere observation or an accusation.”

“Just saying that I had that conversation under control, before you barged in.”

She rolls her eyes.  
“Oh, yes, of course, your fumbling was very impressive. I’m sure that you could’ve gotten us into the hangar bay eventually – you know, _after_ the Hypertrail has left.”

“I simply believe these things should be dealt with in the proper manner, with the correct procedures.”

“Is that why you decided to skip the line and go directly to the staff?”

He sighs.  
“We are still Sith, and therefore have precedence over the others, especially when it’s important.”

Nidesa snorts, although not derisively.  
“Because coming to see our sister is a matter of national security, is it?”

He directs his gaze at her again, furrowing his brow.  
“You know what I mean. You are still an apprentice, so you should seize the opportunity to learn from someone who is already a Lord.”

“An apprentice to Darth Marr, yes. I wasn’t promoted under that coward Thanaton.”

Once more, he has to shake his head, as he has had to hear that all too often by now.  
“You’ve already made your opinion on him pretty clear and he is dead now. No need to sully his memory any further.”

“Don’t tell me you actually miss him. At least Imperius is competent.”

“I didn’t say I do. In fact, Darth Imperius has many qualities that I enjoy, and she’s a fine leader, but I don’t think that is any reason to spit on the memory of Darth Thanaton. He at least accomplished some good things for my Sphere and he did promote me.”

Nidesa doesn’t seem particularly impressed.  
“So, that’s it then? You care for him because he offered you an increased rank? If he had given you a ship as a gift, would you be singing his praises right now? I believe there’s a word for that – bribery.”

Sevatan feels like arguing against her, but he also knows that his sister is just messing with him, mostly because she can. She is often very sweet and gentle, but she is also quick to question her superiors and remains skeptical at all times. That seems to be part of why Marr was interested in her.  
“So, what about the Hypertrail?”, he asks, trying to change the topic. “I think it’s going to be a fascinating visit.”

Even if it’s very blatant what he’s trying, Nidesa actually plays along and smiles.  
“Me too. I’m quite excited, to be honest. Never had the chance to physically enter the ship last time.”

At least they’re on the same page with this topic, but Sevatan also turns to their older brother.  
“Aurosh? Not interested in seeing a famous ship?”

He doesn’t look at either of them as he walks, but they can see some clear lines of doubt on their brother. They know how he feels by now.  
“You are allowed to be, if wish to, but I still don’t see why you dragged me into this.”

On the other side, Nidesa appears quite amused again.  
“Oh, come now, don’t be so glum, brother. It’s not like you. Can’t you just enjoy this fine opportunity we’ve been given?”

Aurosh starts to frown, the response she had likely expected, as he stares at her.  
“I am not being ‘glum’. All I’m trying to say here is that I’m uncomfortable with this. Is that not permitted?”

“And what is it that makes you uncomfortable? That we’re meeting Lenorr’s girlfriend or for what she is?”

“I never said that either. However, I will admit that who she is as a person is the more prudent concern, since she’s actually a fairly famous anti-imperial criminal.”

“Not anymore”, Sevatan counters. “I am sure you have heard of their altered business arrangement. Darth Imperius wouldn’t be protecting the Hypertrail otherwise.”

Aurosh exhales heavily and shakes his head.  
“Never mind."

For now, he seems to have given in, neither protesting or trying to leave. The other two assume it’s because he probably wants to see his sister as well.  
When they arrive in the correct area, they’re somewhat in luck, because not only do they see the ship still standing inside the hangar bay, but Bery and Lenorr are both on the outside. It appears they’re inspecting various aspects of it, possibly preparing for liftoff.

When the duo moves up towards the ramp, Nidesa raises her voice.  
“Captain Shodem! Lenorr! Could we have a word with you?”

They turn around and immediately gain some fairly surprised looks on their faces.  
“…what are you three doing here?”, Lenorr asks.

Bery smirks and places her hands down on her hips.  
“Heeey, if it isn’t the Evintok gang. Not sure I’ve ever met all three of ya at once.”

Sevatan smiles and inclines his head respectfully.  
“It’s good to see you again, Captain. Glad that you took my suggestion from last time.”

While Aurosh remains silent, Nidesa shows a similar expression as her other brother.  
“Captain, we wonder if we could get permission to come on board the Hypertrail.”

Bery is both perplexed and intrigued by that request, which Lenorr notes when the lekkus curls around her own neck.  
“You wanna come with us? Why? We’re about to leave imperial space, you know.”

“Well, we obviously hope we are not interfering with anything”, Nidesa tells her. “That was certainly never our plan and we do not wish to disrupt your work. However, we did have something…special in mind.”

They see how Sevatan raises one of the bags in his hand.  
“We brought some items with us and were wondering if you perhaps wish to have dinner together.”

The couple turn to share a glance, and it appears both of them are equally confused.  
“Dinner?”, Lenorr inquiries. “Here?”

“Indeed.”

“Like, with all five of us?”, Bery asks next.

“Yes. Is that so strange?”

The Captain isn’t sure if she should be suspicious or not. She doesn’t want to be, obviously, as this is Lenorr’s family, but it is kinda weird.  
“Well, I mean…you wanna have dinner with us, that’s fine, but on the Hypertrail? Not that I mind, as we eat here all the time, but my ship isn’t exactly a fancy five-star restaurant or anything.”

Sevatan briefly shakes his head.  
“It certainly does not need to be. All it requires is a kitchen and a dining area.”

The younger sister looks at them, but perhaps most intently at Lenorr.  
“We brought ingredients to make some Suplaxi fillet with bloodthorn paste and Nagali rice.”

That apparently gets Lenorr’s attention, and her eyes quickly shift from confusion to uncertainty.  
“I…see.”

Bery watches her girlfriend for a moment, before she starts to feel a bit annoyed, as if everyone has a joke or a reference that they get, but she remains clueless.  
“Uh, did that tell you something? Because I still dunno what’s going on.”

After a slow exhale, Lenorr directs herself towards Bery.  
“This particular dish actually has a sort of…traditional value among our family. It has a special meaning to the Evintoks.”

“Okay, like what? Why do we need to eat it here and not at an actual food place?”

Nidesa smiles at her.  
“We will answer all your questions, Captain, if you let us come on board and speak of them in private.”

The twi’lek feels kinda outnumbered and she shrugs because of it.  
“Well, I mean, if you insist, then sure, let’s go. Didn’t expect I’d be on a date with all of the Evintoks, but that’s fine.”

Aurosh clearly looks to be the most uncomfortable.  
“Not all of us are in agreement, but I don’t seem to have any choice.”  


* * *

  
One thing that Bery is quite thankful for is that most of her crew remain pretty busy these days, so they’re often spread out across various corners of the galaxy. Most of them eventually come back to the Hypertrail, as this is still their home in a way, but it no longer has them trapped. That’s why there’s no one in any of the major areas of the ship at this time, and she doesn’t have to worry about any conflicts between them and Lenorr’s siblings.

As soon as they come on board, Bery offers them a brief tour, at least for what little is available in here. This mostly include the big central chamber, the bridge, the cabins and the cargo bay. After they’re done, they head in the direction of the kitchen.  
“Sorry for the lack of interesting views. This ship isn’t exactly made for sightseeing. It’s a freighter, after all.”

Nidesa still looks quite pleased regardless.  
“Don’t worry, Captain, we do not mind, and I think it is quite exciting anyhow. It’s so fascinating to consider the fact that this ship has experienced so much around the galaxy. I’m sure you are aware of how many stories they tell of you and the rest of your crew.”

Having not expected it, Bery smirks and glances towards her.  
“A Sith interested in the tales of a smuggler, huh?”

“Well, when they have action and adventure, yes. Yours are becoming particularly noteworthy.”

“Heh, well, won’t deny that we have done a lot of shit, and much of it is probably true, but there’s a bunch of hyperbole too.”

She hears a snort from her girlfriend.  
“Yes, exaggerated by yourself a lot of the time.”

“Hey, how else would I build a legend?”

Lenorr rolls her eyes.  
“…and why exactly do you need one? Fairly certain that you can do your job without it.”

Once they reach the kitchen, they get a good view of the area, and Aurosh is quick to display his doubt.  
“Well, I can see why you wouldn’t be eager to eat here.”

Nidesa turns her gaze towards her brother, furrowing her brow just in case.  
“What’s wrong with it?”

“This area is quite miniscule in comparison to what we have, and not decorated in any particularly interesting way. At least it isn’t dirty, I suppose.”

“Pff”, Bery emits. “You assumed we didn't clean? I have a wookiee and droids for that!”

Sevatan moves inside with the bags, placing his on a table by the wall.  
“It doesn’t matter anyhow. We are meant to eat here, not be entertained.”

“Hey, I can do both. Just let me prepare something, and I’m sure we can have some fun."  
Bery moves further inside, leans against the dining table and folds her arms.  
“But, before we do that, I’d like to know more of this dish that you wanted to make. What’s so special about it?”

Even if he is not particularly pleased with the location, Aurosh does help to bring the materials out and fetch the necessary tools. In the meantime, Nidesa shifts her attention towards Bery.  
“Well, as Lenorr told you earlier, it is indeed a family dish, with an emotional and traditional value to us. For quite a few generations now, when someone new is to be introduced into our family, it is customary for the closest members to go visit this person and their partner’s home, in order to cook and eat this dish together.”

Now that wasn’t quite what Bery thought she’d hear, which is clearly seen by her widened eyes and how she stands up straighter.  
“Whoa, hold on now - ‘to be introduced into’? That sounds very uh…permanent. I mean, it’s not like we’ve proposed or anything.”

“True”, Sevatan agrees, “but it is not as simple as merely classifying your relationship as ‘dating’ either, yes? I do recall how the two of you went home to Ziost and held a rather passionate speech in front of our parents.”

Bery clears her throat.  
“Uh, actually, that was mostly Lenorr. I just stood there.”

Lenorr stares skeptically at her girlfriend.  
“No, you didn’t, even if I handled the majority of the discussion. Still, I believe it was obvious what we intended. I won’t shy away from how important our connection has grown, at least to me.  
At the same time, I share Bery’s feelings that this is rather…strange. Have you spoken to mother and father about this?”

The two younger siblings hesitate and before they can even give a response, Aurosh does it for them.  
“They have not.”

“It doesn’t matter”, Nidesa is quick to argue. “The Captain has already had a few meals inside of our home, which is a significant piece of progress.  
Perhaps our parents do not wish to join us when we eat with you here, but I don’t think that decreases the importance. We are Evintoks too, and we want to be here. Well, most of us.”

Bery raises her hand, scratching her cheek, wondering what she should do here. It’s obvious that these siblings may be trying to oppose the order of things, or at least ignore how it’s supposed to work. She likes that, but wonders if it’ll actually work in the end.  
“So, this…Sporax thing or whatever…”

Aurosh exhales heavily.  
“Suplaxi fillet. It’s a type of meat.”

“Right, that’s what I said. Is it tasty?”

Lenorr is the swiftest to respond here, actually nodding quite eagerly.  
“It is. I have always enjoyed it, although I haven’t had it regularly for many years. We ate it much more at home, and I haven’t been there very often since my childhood.  
We eat it together at least once a year, though, and it is prepared similarly to other pureblood-inspired meat dishes.”

“So, spicy, then?”

“That too.”

The Captain doesn’t appear to oppose the notion. In fact, Lenorr has made a few dishes from Ziost in the past, and Bery has quite enjoyed them. She wonders what will happen if she doesn’t like this particular one, though, seeing how important it is.  
“Uh, not sure if I have anything you might need. We’ve got stuff, but this isn’t exactly a place loaded with ingredients.”

“Don’t worry”, Nidesa tells her. “We brought all of the requirements with us. The only thing you can really offer us is a place to cook it on, and I can see you already provided this. We shall get to it right away.”

The idea of having dinner with these people all at the same time is strange enough, but to have four Sith cooking for her? That’s bizarre.  
These thoughts are interrupted by Aurosh, as he strolls into the middle of the room.  
“Before we go too far with this, I have to say something.  
I know Nidesa and Sevatan are already determined to proceed without my blessing, but Captain, I want you to understand the various meanings of this choice, particularly on the historical front.”

Bery doesn’t look afraid or hesitant by his approach. It’s not like he would try anything with all his siblings here, and he doesn’t seem violent.  
“Go ahead.”

He places his hands behind his back and takes a deep breath.  
“Getting aliens into the main sections of our family like this is...unusual. Very few have ever been allowed to, especially not twi’leks. The fact that anyone is considering this right now is a direct violation of tradition and breaks away from our customs. I hope you realize that you will definitely be challenged. Perhaps not by me or any of us, but some Evintoks will. We are a rather large House.”

Even if Bery has never been big on the front of social rights for other species or twi’lek liberation, she dislikes receiving suspicion or hate specifically due to what species she is, especially when people assume too much about her based on what she looks like. She tries to keep it cool with Aurosh, though. He does seem to be calm and reasonable, plus he’s the brother of someone she cares about. Lenorr is always good with her sisters, so Bery should return the favor.

“So, what’re you trying to say? Twi’leks can’t join the Evintok family?”

“No, that’s not what I’m saying. I’m simply trying to explain that it won’t be accepted; not easily, at least. You will have to fight.”

“Seems like you don’t mind that.”

The two of them stare at each other for several moments, until he reluctantly loses some of the tension.  
“That’s not entirely true. I don’t hate you, Captain, nor do I despise your species, as I see no reason to. I do, however, find you a doubtful person, based on your actions in the past.”

“Huh. Well, I appreciate the honesty, but I hope that covers other areas too. If Lenorr and I get married, would you oppose it?”

“Not really, as long as it is performed with the correct rites.”

Bery nods slowly, seeing what sort of angle he comes from. He seems to enjoy tradition to a certain extent, even if it includes bad things he might not entirely agree with.  
“Look, I understand that you like all the rituals and stuff that you guys have been doing for ages, and it is difficult to accept change. I enjoy comfort too.  
But, at the same time, look at the Empire right now – it’s crumbling in many places, the Emperor walks away from you or is at least silent, some Sith are choosing to secede, and you’ve got enemies everywhere. With all that shit going on pretty much simultaneously, it’s possible that there won’t be an empire left at some point, or even any Sith.  
The only way you guys can actually survive this is to accept changes, to let ‘people like me’ into the Empire. Sure, Lenorr and I are only one couple, but there will be more eventually, as there’s clear signs of it everywhere. Just look at your Dark Council, which already has two aliens.”

Aurosh is scowling at this time, but there’s also a hint of interest in his eyes.  
“What does the rest of the Empire have to do with this?”

“Because either you can be skeptical and stand in our way, which will probably lead to failure, or you can start to accept what’s happening and adapt. To embrace it on an individual level now, will make it much easier to prepare for what’s about to happen across the Empire.  
I won’t be like the rest of the Evintoks, nor am I gonna follow all of your traditions, but I will show you respect. Family is important to me, just like I’m sure it is for you, and I take care of my family.”

This makes both Nidesa and Sevatan smile, while Aurosh appears to be contemplative as a result. He runs a finger over the tendrils by his chin, trying to determine his retort, Eventually, it comes out more calmly than anticipated.  
“I…understand your point, Captain. I don’t know how I feel about this just yet, but I do see where you’re coming from and your arguments are quite rational. Your relationship with my sister might be worth a chance.”

Bery smiles and nods.  
“Thought so. Now, are you any of you actually good at cooking?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _Yeah, Bery basically went "accept my future marriage to your sister or the Empire will fall". I mean, it is a leap, but she likes being dramatic._
> 
> _A while back, I wrote a few notes down for how the four siblings are and act, which I tried to get across here._   
>  _"Sevatan and Lenorr are the ones with the shortest temperament, but also enjoy correct procedures and documentation. Nidesa is the calmest and sweetest one, but she also questions authority if not handled with care. Aurosh is the one with a bit more humor, but also believes in tradition."_   
>  _We haven't seen more of Aurosh's humorous side, mostly due to the fact that he's very skeptical of Bery, but I hope to get that across some time in the future._


	10. Heart of pride

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _This chapter features my trans-female human Bounty Hunter, Jovana Vlasic. If you have read any of the previous fics, you should probably know that she and Bery are good friends, as they grew up together._   
>  _Originally, I was just gonna have one chapter with Jov, to increase the underworld intrigue section of this story, but I figured I'd take advantage of another element of Bery's crew this week._

As a crew, Bery’s team travels around a lot, and not just due to the fact that they live on a ship. The more fame they gain, the more they’re needed in several places, sometimes at once. However, to not get overwhelmed or stressed out, they try to at least remain together as often as possible, as they feel that they can trust each other more than anyone from the outside. There’s certainly a few exceptions, but not something that changes this belief to any major degree.

This is why the entire team can currently be found inside the Hypertrail today, even Risha, as it’s docked within Port Zodric. Due to the connection their company has to this place, along with its owner, it’s not entirely unusual that they come to the station anyhow, for purposes of transportation, storage, or getting resupplied. All of those are reasonable excuses to head in this direction and yet none of them clarify why the group is here at this time, or why they’re all gathered in the cargo bay. That explanation arrives from the outside.

Within this room, there’s an abundance of noise being emitted, in forms of grunting, heavy footsteps, groans and blunt weapons colliding. It’s the combined mixture of a sparring session, an activity that isn’t entirely unusual for the ship’s inhabitants, but the two currently engaged in it have never faced each other before.  
This is why the woman who walks into the room shortly after, seems rather confused when she notes this particular battle.

“You know, when you invited me here, the last thing I expected to see was your mando fighting with your medic.”

As the group turns towards the smaller entrance hatch into the ship, they see a second human coming inside. Her dark brown skin, crimson bob cut hairstyle, yellow artificial eyes and black tattoo over the right side of her face, are all very familiar, along with the heavy red and white armor she’s wearing. It’s not just that she has visited their home before, but that she’s been a friend to the ship’s Captain for many years.

Bery’s face changes into a smirk as soon as she spots her.  
“And finally, here she is, our dear 'Grand Champion'. Did you stop to get a drink or something? You’re late.”

Jovana returns a similar expression to the twi’lek and folds her arms.  
“Am I? There wasn’t exactly a specific hour mentioned in the message I got, just ‘get here soon’. Not much of a schedule, is it?”

“I bet if we had a bounty prepared for ya, you’d be here in five minutes.”

“Well, what can I say? Credits are convincing.”  
She turns her attention to the two people sparring again, who don’t seem to have stopped, even with her arrival.  
“Now, what exactly is going on here?”

The human mandalorian wanders up to the four standing by one of the walls, which includes not just Bery, but also Lenorr, Risha and Bowdaar. Three of them look pretty pleased with the situation, but Risha sighs and shakes her head.  
“Something stupid, for the most part. I never asked for them to do this.”

Bery sends an amused gaze towards Risha.  
“And yet you’re still standing here.”

“…yes, because I’m waiting for Jovana! I was the one who called her, remember?”

Ignoring their bickering, Lenorr glances at the mandalorian and gestures at the two in the center of the cargo bay. It seems they’ve pushed most of the crates and other equipment towards the walls, to give the fighters some space.  
“I prepared this for Guss. He needed an opportunity to train his techniques against someone else than me.”

Jov follows the motion and watches the session for a few moments. For the most part, it doesn’t seem to be going all too well for Guss, who’s either on the defensive, or almost on the verge of running away.  
“What, are you his teacher or something?”, Jov asks.

“In fact, I am.”

Folding her arms once more, she moves up to the wall, leaning in between Bery and Risha.  
“Uh…okay, that’s surprising. Didn’t know he was a Sith.”

At this time, Lenorr is also observing the fighters for the most part, making sure that Guss follows the instructions she gave him.  
“He is Force sensitive, but I wouldn’t call him Sith. He wanted his abilities trained, without getting attached to anything, and I don’t mind doing so. He has some potential, if he actually starts listening to what I tell him.”

Trying to draw their attentions away from Force nonsense, Bery smiles and pushes her elbow gently into Jov’s side.  
“Glad to see you here, by the way. There’s a lot of shit going on with mandalorians lately. A group of ‘em attacked us on an imperial world. Almost cut my fucking arm off.”

Jov sighs and nods.  
“Yeah, I heard. Sorry about that. My people are…in disarray, I suppose. Some of them have chosen to ally with Malgus, because of his promises of glory and conquest. It’s pretty tempting for some of our clans. The majority have stayed with Mandalore and the Empire, though.”

“You think that’s gonna last?”

Even if they talk, Jov seems to be rather distracted by the battle. The rest should’ve figured that she’s really into that sort of thing.  
“Hopefully, but who can say for sure? Guess we’ll have to deal with it later.  
By the way, Guss needs to realign his weapon a bit and try to counterattack more. He’s getting outclassed by…  
Uh, what’s her name again?”

After delivering another blow and forcing Guss to evade, the zabrak woman at the center stops momentarily.  
“Akaavi, of clan Spar.”

“Oh, yeah, that was it. Sorry, forgot for a moment back there.  
Hey, weren’t you the one who wanted something with Mandalore a while back? You guys called me, I think. Not sure if you remember me, but I’m Jovana-“

She is interrupted by Akaavi, before she can finish.  
“Vlasic, of clan Lok. Yes, I remember.  
It is difficult to forget the name of the Grand Champion of the Great Hunt, and a member of our so-called leader’s clan.”

If the mood had been pretty decent up until this moment, it suddenly grows rather tense with those words, to the point where Guss doesn’t even take the opportunity to attack when he has it.  
Jov, naturally, starts to frown.  
“And what's that supposed to mean?”

Akaavi spins the practice staff around in her hands, taking steps away in order to get some distance from her opponent. She doesn’t look at Jov, but she does address her.  
“He calls himself our leader, but he doesn’t always act like one.”

Some of them had sort of anticipated a potential conflict, but hoped it would be nothing major. Risha looks very unsure, Bery sighs, Bowdaar folds his arms, while Lenorr actually seems rather interested. The Sith cannot only hear the tension, but actively feel it through their emotions. Such things may have a good purpose and she does not want to oppose it.  
Even if that’s the case, though, Jov and Akaavi ignore her.

“Is that so?”, Jov asks, before pushing herself from the wall, and circling to the other side of the bay.  
“You know, looks like you aren’t getting much of a fight with this guy”, she mentions and gestures at Guss. “How about facing someone who can actually challenge you?”

Akaavi’s gaze has shifted from Guss, to instead follow Jov.  
“Are you offering?”

Jov rolls her shoulders and angles her head to let their eyes meet.  
“Maybe I am, if you wanna see how a real warrior fights.”

They hear a groan from the wall, as Bery puts a hand over her face.  
“…mandalorians.”

While she is mostly annoyed, Risha seems fairly dissatisfied.  
“Excuse me, Vlasic, but I called you here so that we could talk business. You can’t just-“

She’s interrupted when Jov holds up a hand in her direction, although doesn’t actually look at Risha.  
“Yeah, don’t worry, Drayen, we’ll get to it. But first, I wanna see what this one can do. Haven’t had a good challenge in a while, and this one might be…interesting.”

“I agree,” Lenorr states calmly.

Risha whirls her head towards the Sith and frowns.  
“What?”

Bery rolls her eyes.  
“Of course you do.”

“I’m serious”, Lenorr insists. “I believe it can be both fascinating and educational. Guss, we will postpone your training for now, and you can watch how these two perform. Might teach you something about how to evolve your techniques, if you decide to observe it properly.”

Guss hands his staff to Jov, still breathing rather heavily.  
“Well…anything to get out of another beating from Akaavi, I guess.”

Shaking her head, Risha raises a hand to rub at the bridge of her nose.  
“Lenorr, this isn’t helping.”

Fully focused on the coming event, Akaavi watches Jov and points at her.  
“This must be a fair duel – no tricks. We use practice staves and our armors, no other tools, not even the internal ones.”

Jov snorts.  
“You think I’d cheat?”

“I think you are capable of doing whatever it takes to win a fight. I know of your past.”

Bery arches her eyebrow skeptically.  
“Yo, we grew up in the same place. You know that, right?”

Akaavi nods curtly, still facing her new opponent.  
“Would you say you always fight fair, Captain?”

Spreading her arms and opening her mouth, a few seconds of silence passes by, as not a single word leaves Bery. Eventually, she has to change her mind and cross her arms in defeat.  
“…good point.”

To reassure the other mandalorian, Jov drops off all her other weapons on a table by the wall, including the equipment belt, and a bunch of attachments. She grabs the staff she was given again, holds up her arms and performs two slow rotations of her body.  
“Satisfied?”

Akaavi doesn’t show much of a reaction in response, merely getting into a preparational stance.  
“That was unnecessary, but I suppose it is good to see your dedication.”

“When it comes to winning a fight, I always wanna make sure my opponent knew I beat ‘em because I was better. Now you’ll know the same.”

“Only a fool claims victory beforehand.”

As the talking is temporarily done with, they both get into the center of the room, staring intently into each other’s eyes and complete whatever pre-battle activities they need to. For Akaavi, that means getting a steady grip on her weapon with both hands, and search for weak spots in Jov’s movements. In the meantime, the human spins her staff around in her grasp, slowly pacing across the floor as if to display a feeling of restlessness, even if that is only a distraction.  
Both of them are about the same height, but Akaavi has a somewhat bulkier build, which doesn’t necessarily mean she is physically stronger.

To begin with, they take it easy. Akaavi makes the first strike, advancing on Jov, who doesn’t bring her weapon up until the last second. She holds off two attacks from the zabrak, before she ducks beneath the third and tries to bash at one of Akaavi’s legs, which her foe dodges.  
The human’s strike wasn’t fast enough anyway, because it appears she isn’t going all out, but instead watches and learns, trying to see what her adversary is capable of. In certain ways, Akaavi is doing the same thing.

In between strikes, when she isn’t pushed to the limit, Jov seizes the opportunity to speak.  
“What’s your problem with Mandalore, Spar?”

There’s only the briefest moment of a frown on Akaavi, before she responds, but not in Basic. As none of the others are wearing any translation devices, Akaavi switches to mando’a, which she knows Jov has enough of comprehension for now to at least understand basic conversations.  
“Artus is a worthy warrior, a skilled hunter, but his leadership skills are questionable.”

As a reaction, Jov slightly lashes out, driving her staff into Akaavi a few times, before she responds. It’s not too hard for Akaavi to avoid them, but they act more as a warning. If she insults Jov’s clan leader, it might get worse.  
When she speaks, Jov has much more of an outsider’s accent than Akaavi.  
“Why would you say that? Has he not been a strong leader?”

“Do you believe our people should be lapdogs to the imperials? To serve their every need? That is essentially what’s happening.”

Seeming to have found her stance again, Akaavi not only pushes Jov back, but forces the human to parry some rather heavy blows, much more so than the warning swings she just received.  
“No, I don’t think so, but that’s not what we are. We fight with the Empire as allies, on our own terms. We help each other out against our enemies and they give us chances to evolve ourselves. We even have a spot in Kaas City. It’s beneficial.”

“Is it? Then how come it feels like the Empire gets the most out of this agreement? They get soldiers to fight their wars and conflicts, to die for them when they need us.”

For Jov, the battle becomes somewhat more difficult, due to the fact that she actually has to concentrate a bit when she talks, to get the words right.  
“Think about it – they provide us with resources and opportunities to hunt. That’s what we want, isn’t it? I’m not big on war, but we prosper during conflicts, just like the Empire.”

“Unless they stab you in the back.”

That is the last sentence for another minute or so, but it’s filled with tension and hatred, to the extent where even Lenorr can feel the flourishing emotions in the air, something she finds invigorating.  
As for Jov, she has to get into another defensive stance, somewhat understanding how Guss felt earlier, as Akaavi does not relent.  
The zabrak is capable of doing many things with her staff – swing it like a club, make precise hits, block like a shield or use it to amplify her own movement. Even if she had other tools, Jov suspects that Akaavi would be very disinterested in using them, since this feels like the type of style she was made for. She certainly doesn’t shy away from hammering the human to make a point.

It’s not like Jov is helpless, though, and while she isn’t as talented with the staff, she certainly knows how to brawl, which is why she occasionally lowers her weapon and gets in close, tackling Akaavi with a shoulder, punches at gaps in her defenses or kicks at her legs. They didn’t necessarily agree that they could only strike with their staves, right? If they can utilize their armors, then making use of the rest of their bodies feels like a natural extension of that notion.

After having gone through a few intense assaults and counteractions, they take a moment to breathe, and Akaavi is the one to initiate the next part of their conversation.  
“Who cares about the war on the Republic? Why is the Republic worthier to fight than the Empire, or the Empire a more reasonable ally? Why can it not be the opposite?”

Jov raises her brow skeptically.  
“And, what, you’d prefer if we turn around, betray the Empire and side with the Republic instead?”

“No, I do not. I don’t believe staying so closely tied with either is beneficial for the future. It’s better if we choose our own side.”

Feeling the weapon in her hand, Jov starts to circle her opponent, searching for where to launch her next strike.  
“Fight both at the same time? Not very strategic, you know.”

“I did not say we have to fight anyone at all, especially not through something as drastic as war. We should retreat to our space, try to reassess our position in this galaxy and prosper in our own way, outside of their meaningless conflicts.”

Unsurprisingly, it is Jov who initiates the next section of the battle. She starts by attacking head-on, but before Akaavi has a chance to block it, she shifts direction and attempts to hit the left flank. She does this more than once, fooling the zabrak into a false sense of security a few times, so that she can’t tell where Jov actually intends to make an impact. At one point, where Akaavi is attempting to counterattack, the human aims low and strikes at Akaavi’s feet, almost tripping her over, but the other mandalorian regains her balance at the last second.

Jov keeps pushing, not giving Akaavi much quarter at this time. She knows that she needs to prove how capable she is, and that facing the Grand Champion – even when she doesn’t have the advantage – is not an easy challenge.  
When Akaavi accused her of using tricks earlier, that was partially correct, but not in the sense that she will fight unfairly. Instead, she is not as one-sided as much of Akaavi’s techniques can be, and can go around the strength if she needs to, in order to weaken her opponent where they least expect it. In this particular duel, this means utilizing Akaavi’s physical prowess and heavier attacks against her. The zabrak soon comes to realize that Jov is a very creative and intelligent fighter, more than she gave her credit for.

“We can’t ignore battle”, Jov tells her, when Akaavi has stepped back for a moment. “If we do, our people will either turn to infighting or grow stagnant. That’s not our way.”

Akaavi frowns somewhat.  
“What would you know of our ways? You have been with us for no more than a year or two.”

She receives an equally fierce glare in return.  
“And yet I seem to understand the hearts of our people more than you do.  
Besides, have we not promised the Empire our allegiance? You don’t betray an ally for no reason. Trust me, I know when it’s the smarter choice.”

“What, like we promised to join the Republic against the Empire? What happened to that _promise_?”

While she didn’t see it in detail, Jov did hear about Akaavi’s plan from Bery, as the twi’lek tried to persuade Jov to help out with convincing Mandalore. She gave them an audience with Artus, even if Jov never personally witnessed the events after that. It failed, presumably.  
“Oh c’mon, that was 300 years ago! This is a different era, with different people.”

“That doesn’t make it right. We were supposed to fight the Sith, as our promise to their leaders.”

Most in this room know that Jov doesn’t specifically harbor any distaste for the Republic, but she has certain ties to the Empire which probably makes her dislike the idea of unifying against it.  
“And what about revenge against the Republic for the destruction at the end of the Mandalorian Wars? They caused a lot of deaths, and dismantled our equipment.”

“Yes, in a war that _we_ started. Our defeat and the conclusion were both justified.”

“And this is a different war with different ideals. We don’t have to live in the past.”

Furrowing her brow, Akaavi grips her staff harder and rushes Jov’s position, starting by delivering a harsh blow from the front, before she watches the other warrior more carefully, to not get overwhelmed. She will not allow the human to take over this fight completely. Akaavi is not without her own tricks as well, especially after working with the Captain for a few years.  
“The Empire betrayed us once. They can do it again.”

This far into the battle, there can be no doubt that Akaavi’s strength is superior to the human’s, but where Jov falters in pure physical force, she flourishes in other fields, as her experiences are very diverse. Jov has lived several different lives.  
“You’re basing that on words that we received from a broken warrior. How do we even know that’s true?”

“You think Te Ani’la Mand’alor would lie?”

“To not be judged unfairly after such a massive defeat, yeah, I do!”

Through Akaavi’s research, they have now both seen a text written by Te Taylir Mand’alor – also known as Canderous Ordo – who mentioned that Mandalore the Ultimate, the one that led their people into war with the Republic, was somehow tricked or controlled by the Sith Emperor. The only issue is that the physical evidence of this doesn’t really exist. It appears that Artus probably didn’t believe it either, or didn’t care. Then again, Jov hasn’t asked him yet and doesn’t know if she will.

This sparring session started off due to the tension between them and while it had been a test of skill for most of its duration, it has now descended into a pure emotional outlet. Akaavi fights more with anger and frustration than she did previously, and Jov almost wants to act and trick the other fighter purely out of spite, to show that one from her clan can’t be outdone by another. It’s probably not a wise choice for either, but Lenorr is certainly enjoying it.

“I acknowledge that you believe in your ideas, Champion”, Akaavi tells her, “but that does not make them right. We can survive and thrive without the Empire.”

“Hey, I never said we couldn’t! All I’m saying is, we can learn and grow a lot by being involved in this conflict, and the Empire is a useful ally when it’s over, just like they have been since the last war.”

Akaavi frowns.  
“We are warriors and we fight for our own strength, not depend on others.”

“Yeah, and how useful was that against the Republic, huh? Allies are good to have when times are tough, and you need a new perspective. Maybe for someone who grew up as mando, you can’t see that, but I’ve been through a lot worse times to know better.”

Shortly after this, Akaavi avoids one of the feints, and instead unleashes three heavy swings, forcing Jov away and to deplete some of her stamina trying to parry them.  
“To me, that sounds like a coward’s way. It makes me wonder how you really won the Great Hunt.”

Whatever she meant to happen, probably wasn’t what actually occurs after Jov begins to frown.  
Some sort of fire ignites in her, and if she was about to be driven away earlier, Jov finds some kind of inner strength which makes her able to avoid the next strike, kick at Akaavi’s legs and then swiftly slam the staff into her side.  
Jov keeps pushing the zabrak after this, completely turning the tables and sending her into a defensive mode which she’s almost not used to, other than when fighting Lenorr.

What brings a concluding aspect to the battle is how Jov focuses on delivering hits that makes Akaavi’s lose her breath. She aims for the abdomen or to slip around and slam her foe in the back, gradually depleting any resistance.  
In the very last section, Jov dodges one of Akaavi’s swings, punches her in the stomach, disarms the zabrak and then headbutts her in the cheek.

Having no way to defend herself and not being ready for such an onslaught, Akaavi stumbles backwards and falls into one of the tables by the wall, before she drops to one knee. While she’s down, she can only look up and see the staff aimed at her head.  
“It’s over”, Jov tells her in Basic, while breathing rather heavily.  
“You think I won the Great Hunt on tricks and lies? You think I defeated Jedi, Hutts, and Sith on banthashit? I know what I’m doing, Spar. I always do.”

Akaavi doesn’t have a proper response to give her, whether to be defiant or compliant. Eventually, she isn’t given much of an option, as Jov offers her a hand. She’s panting pretty much on the same level as her opponent and despite a certain reluctance, she takes it.  
As Akaavi rises, she contemplates her choices so far, before she decides to speak somewhat softer.  
“I suppose I have to acknowledge your skill. It is…impressive.”

Jov closes her fist and then bumps it in a gentler way into Akaavi’s shoulder.  
“Hey, I’m not the only one. I was wrong earlier – you’re a good warrior. I can see why Bery keeps you around.  
And, listen, maybe you’re right to a certain point – maybe we can’t stay with the Empire forever, but we need to be smart about it. Right now, what we’re doing is the right choice. Before that changes, we’ll have to make plans to adapt.”

Due to a certain measure of pride, Akaavi hadn’t expected an agreeing notion from the human. Momentarily, she glances down to the ground and hesitates, hoping that she can reach for the same sensation.  
“I don’t know if I agree with you…but I respect your opinion, Champion.”

“Enough with that crap. Just call me Jovana.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _This was, in a way, a followup to a chapter I did with Akaavi and Bery many months ago now. Also a nice opportunity to have two mandos fighting._
> 
> _Not sure how long ago it was since I decided whether Jov is actually good at mando'a now or not, but yeah, she has become pretty decent at it, as you can see. That said, she talks pretty slowly and her writing skills are still lacking. I mean, she's been studying it for two or three years, with the help of pretty advanced translation devices, and another mando on her ship, so I feel like she can have a conversation._   
>  _I think Akaavi and Jovana might see each other more in the future, especially when things turn more chaotic in Kotfe._


	11. Assessing opposition

Despite not exactly being among the forefront destinations of the galaxy, Port Zodric quite often gets a lot of intriguing visitors, from medium to high fame in some of the most important factions. While most of these individuals have reputations for either business, crime or violence, one of the small groups walking through the promenade today have a joint status which encompasses all of these fields, and to a rather severe degree.

It’s been a while since Bery has had the chance to wander through a public area with Jovana like this, and even though it can’t be said that they do it without a certain measure of caution, due to potential enemies hiding in lots of corners, she still feels relatively safe. After all, Lenorr and Risha are by her side, and Jov isn’t exactly famous for being an easy target. In fact, because she’s the type of person who makes a living by tracking down others, she knows precisely what signs to look for when she’s being hunted in return.

“Good to see you again, by the way”, the twi’lek says and pushes an elbow gently into Jov’s side. “We don’t hang out nearly enough anymore. I kinda miss those days when we got together for drinks.”

Jov snorts amusedly at her.  
“What, because you made me pay for ‘em?”

“Hey, not true! I paid too…occasionally.”

The mandalorian shakes her head and then reaches out with a hand to tickle the Captain, who evades the attempt.  
“You were lucky for being so cute.”

“Don’t you mean ‘hot’?”

Jov chuckles.  
“Anyway, I guess you’re right, but that’s not exactly my fault, is it? Both of us stay pretty busy with work these days. There’s a lot of shit to handle around the galaxy right now.”

A slightly more solemn expression descends upon Bery as she nods.  
“True. The company keeps me occupied a lot of the time and people constantly want me to fly to all kinds of systems for various jobs or meetings. Not exactly the kind of life I imagined back on Nar Shaddaa.  
That said, it doesn’t mean I’m never free. You could just call me if you’re ever up for it, and I’m sure we can arrange something.”

“Why do I have to call? Can’t you do it?”

She’s got a point, of course, and there’s no real good excuse for why Bery couldn’t be the one, other than being lazy.  
“Uh, well, you’re more…decisive.”

Jov arches her brow skeptically in Bery’s direction.  
“Uh-huh, sure I am. Because you’re always trapped in difficult decisions and never going forward with your life? Don’t give me that banthashit. We’re both to blame; deal with it.”

Bery sighs, having to admit the truth, but at least she is not getting everything thrown at her.  
“Fine, fine, you win. I’ll try to make an effort in the future.  
But hey, I’ve heard you’ve gotten into all kinds of trouble across the galaxy lately. Crazy Sith, hunts with Mandalore, impossible bounties – the stories are all over.”

“Well, yeah, what’d you expect? Because of that damn title and after killing Tormen, everyone wants a piece of me, apparently.”

It’s funny to Bery that Jov isn’t doing much to play those actions down. Then again, is she any different?  
“I also heard a pretty intriguing rumor that it was Malgus who brought back your contract, many months before he betrayed the Empire.”

That apparently sours the mood a little bit, as Jov grimaces and looks at her skeptically.  
“…and where the hell did you hear that?”

“I’ve got my sources.”

“Ugh. Why do you and Cierah have to be the same in that way?  
Yeah, whatever, it’s true. But that doesn’t mean I was with him or knew what would happen. He reinstated my contract and that’s it.”

It seems like it’s Bery’s turn to laugh now, as she shrugs.  
“Hey, I wasn’t saying anything else. Just trying to set the record straight, you know?”

“Pff, yeah, sure you were.”

On the opposite side of Bery, Lenorr shakes her head.  
“In that particular field, I suppose you are both quite alike. You often can’t help but get into trouble. I can see why you grew up together.”

A teasing comment, which is fair in this situation, but the Sith should’ve realized it’s unwise to aim for both of the former Nar Shaddaa kids while they’re standing right there. They share a look between them, before Jov smirks mischievously.  
“Hey, Bery, I’ve heard some stuff about you as well, actually.”

“Like what?”, the twi’lek asks somewhat expectantly.

“Well, one of the most interesting rumors is that one about how often you munch on Sith. It's said that they practically _melt_ on your tongue.”

Taking the chance to breathe, Lenorr has to roll her eyes. She should’ve figured that this is where it would end up. She would say something, but they’re also speaking of this subject way too loudly, while they’re all in public.  
Bery seems immensely pleased, though.  
“Oh, cool, the rumors are true for once.”

“…Bery!”, Lenorr exclaims.

“Hah, yeah, figured as much”, Jov comments. “Heard they’re pretty delicious.”

Bery winks at her.  
“Hell yes. I’ll treat you to one sometime. The academy on Ziost has some amazing 'dark side' flavors."

“Knew there was a reason for why you’re my best friend.”

Not being able to stop herself, Lenorr groans, feeling how her face is getting uncomfortably warm.  
“…how are there two of you?!”

Jov displays a rather confident grin in the Sith’s direction.  
“Relax, ‘my lord’. Just mentioning some innocent rumors I've heard, nothing more. Couldn’t possibly be completely true, right?”

“…you two are exhausting to be around.”

Due to Lenorr’s embarrassment, the two other women start to laugh and bump their arms into each other, seeming pleased with themselves. Risha walks somewhat ahead of them and she shakes her head when she hears everything, but also tries her best to hide her amusement.  
Once they get to some of the upper levels of the station and enter Risha’s office, Jov lets her gaze sweep the area, as this is the first time she has been to place. She lets out a slow whistle at all the sights.

“Wow. This shit is pretty impressive. And expensive.”

“I know, right?”, Bery agrees. “Only the best for our offices.”

“It looks a lot more…professional than what I’m used to from you.”

At first, Bery is about to simply respond to another comment, but due to the choice of words, she begins to frown instead.  
“…excuse me? What the fuck is that supposed to mean?”

“Exactly what I said. Have you seen the Hypertrail? It’s a flying junkyard.”

As she says it, Jov can’t really stop the grin that appears on her lips, because she knows what’ll happen. In the meantime, Risha and Lenorr exhale.  
“…that was unnecessary”, the mechanic remarks.

“Fuck you!”, Bery tells the mandalorian while pointing at her. “Don’t insult my baby! You take that shit back right now, asshole!”

Jov lets out a short laugh and raises her hands defensively.  
“Alright, alright, take it easy! She’s a fine lady, for the most part, but I’m just saying this is on another level. The Hypertrail is, like, an acquired taste, right? This room is some high-class shit.”

Even if Bery still looks dissatisfied, she seems like she can’t really argue much.  
“Fine, you’ve got a point, I suppose. I mostly paid for this because Risha asked for it, so that she could fit in better.”

“Yeah, I figured you wouldn’t be into this on your own. You just wouldn’t care.  
Surprised you gave in, though. You’re usually such a cheapskate.”

“Well, you know, she can be very persuasive.”

As she hears her Captain saying this, Risha has arrived at her desk and she turns around to sit down on top of it, crossing her arms shortly after.  
“Excuse me? Are you saying I wouldn’t be worth it otherwise?”

It seems like the situation can change very quickly among this team, and now Bery is under fire instead. Putting on her most charming smile, she wanders up to her business partner and wraps arms around her waist, before planting a quick kiss on her cheek.  
“Hey, c’mon Risha, you know that’s not what I meant. My favorite mechanic is worth everything.”

Risha snorts and lifts her hand to poke Bery’s nose, showing she’s not really upset.  
“I sure hope so.  
Anyway, while it would be fun to chat about such topics or life in general, that’s not the reason why I called you here, Jovana.”

The mandalorian stops not too far away, and all four women are gathered around the same area, close to Risha’s desk. Jov shrugs casually.  
“Yeah, I kinda figured. Got some questions?”

“In fact, I do. Some of them may reach towards potential subjects which surround your chosen profession.”

“Well, you already know I’ll answer any questions from Bery’s crew. Shoot.”

As Bery gives her some space, Risha picks up a datapad from the desk and while it’s activating, she initiates her inquiry.  
“If I’m not mistaken, you have been on Port Zodric before, correct? Just want to confirm this first.”

“Yup, that’s right. I used to pick up a lot of work from here, before I met Mako and the rest. It occurred in between important changes of my life; after I left Nar Shaddaa, but before I signed up as an imperial freelancer.  
Zodric is a good location for talented hunters to find neutral contracts, expand one’s network and build your reputation. You earn a decent amount of credits and while not everyone here is easy to trust, you just need to be smart, careful, and not say the kind of shit that’ll piss the wrong people off. I was comfortable here, or used to be, anyway. Haven’t visited very often since the Empire picked me up.”

Before Risha can ask any more questions, Bery snorts.  
“Uh, it couldn’t have gone that well for you. I mean, you’re famous for your attitude.”

“Well, I did say the ‘wrong people’. Even I know who you shouldn’t mess with and if they’re not in that category, while getting on my nerves, I am gonna call ‘em out on it. That happened a couple of times here. Kemmet wasn’t so happy about it, but I didn’t care much. They were assholes.”

That makes the Captain laugh.  
“Well, you’ll get no argument from me. Zodric is decent.”

Except for Lenorr, Risha also looks slightly skeptical.  
“Well, I agree to a certain extent, but as a business, we have had problems with a bunch of the locals. They are not easy to negotiate with.  
Have you ever heard of the Silcore Syndicate, for example?”

If she had hoped that Jov’s knowledge would be extensive, she is somewhat disappointed when Jov looks unsure and spreads her arms in a shrug.  
“Uh, Silcore? I mean…no?  
There’s so much shit going on here all the time, with groups appearing, disappearing, reappearing, attacking each other, creating deals, merging and all that incredibly boring crap. If there’s one thing I’ve never been interested in on this station, it’s the politics. It’s no better than in the Republic or Empire.”

Bery smirks and glances knowingly at Risha.  
“She was like this on Nar Shaddaa too.”

“Well, am I wrong? There’s like, what, about two dozen syndicates in this place? Or used to be when I was here. Then there’s a bunch of gangs, businesses and representatives from major factions too.  
The only reason I came here was to take the contracts and get credits. I did briefly check what reputation my employers had, but unless they were somehow the worst, I usually didn't care much. I stayed away from stuff that’s horribly illegal or got me into serious trouble, and that’s it.”

Even if Risha sighs in disappointment, she kinda figured this would be the case already. Jov and Bery are quite similar in that way, in spite of the Captain somewhat wider knowledge of underworld movements.  
“Okay, fine”, Risha says as she relents. “Have you met some of the people here, at least? Ever heard of a guy called Adrent?”

The mandalorian looks up towards the roof, raising a hand to her chin as she taps it in thought.  
“Hmm, I recognize that name. Think I’ve encountered it during the days I worked here.  
Wait, that’s the rattataki cyborg guy, right? Kinda moody and overly serious?”

Risha scoffs.  
“…that’s a nice way to put it.”

“Yeah, I’m pretty sure I’ve met him. I might’ve worked with him in the past. I think Adrent used to be one of those bounty hunter handlers for a syndicate back then. Can’t remember which one.”

“Maybe he was, but nowadays, he is one of the district leaders for Silcore. He often acts as their representative to other organizations, especially other syndicates and certain businesses, like yours.”

Jov doesn’t appear to be particularly averse to that idea and nods briefly.  
“Hey, good for him.”

Obviously, Risha doesn’t agree, which she shows by rolling her eyes.  
“…but not for us. Listen, he’s a real pain in the ass to deal with and he keeps hounding us.”

“About what?”

“Several weeks ago, he started looking into our operations and somehow concluded that we are trespassing in areas we shouldn’t go, that we’re trying to steal resources from his organization, and that we’re tricking everyone with our legitimate dealings.  
He believes we’re attempting to become one of his and Silcore’s rivals, even though our company’s purpose has nothing to do with that. We aim to work in between syndicates, to help transfer shipments and personnel from one group to another, and create contacts that way. For some reason, that has made him more suspicious.”

While she explains everything thoroughly, both Bery and Lenorr listens quietly, as they haven’t heard the story in this amount of detail before.  
Jov has diverted her gaze elsewhere, running a hand slowly over her own cheek as she tries to consider every angle.  
“Kinda interesting, even if it’s a little bit weird. Perhaps he has seen some shit that triggered his internal alarms or whatever.  
Are you?”

“…are we what?”

“Stealing from them.”

Risha stares at her in disbelief, before spreads her arms questioningly.  
“…what? Of course we’re not! We wouldn’t have called you in otherwise.

“Okay, calm down. Had to ask, at least.  
To be honest, I would never suspect Adrent of being the type to trick or lie about something like this, to somehow get ahold of your territory or whatever, if that’s what you’re thinking. At least he was never like that when I worked with him. Granted, he was in the bounty business then, and not such an important role.  
To me, he was always pretty honest and straightforward. Sure, he was an asshole, but he didn’t seem like someone who’d stab me in the back if he didn’t like me. He’d punch me in the face.”

Bery smirks.  
“…is that supposed to be encouraging?”

It appears that Risha shares her Captain’s emotions, slowly shaking her head.  
“Well, then he must have either changed attitude during the years, or he has some other agenda right now.”

Jov shrugs, a doubtful expression still on her face.  
“I dunno. If I were to guess, I’d say he either saw something that made him believe you’re fucking with Silcore, or he has misunderstood the target.”

“Yeah, I had the same suspicion. I have been trying to figure out if there might possibly be some type of third party involved in this affair, who has put the blame on us.”

“Could be. You’ve got any more enemies that might target you?”

She isn’t addressing just Risha, but Bery as well, due to how her reputation likely affects the operations of their company.  
“Well, I mean, of course we have?”, Bery says, as if it would be obvious. “That’s just our life now.”

There’s something prodding the back of her mind, as if she senses someone staring at her, and that just so happens to be Lenorr.  
“You are partially to blame for that. You’re always running your mouth.”

Swirling around towards her girlfriend, Bery pouts at her.  
“That’s not true! I know how to speak without angering people, thank you very much.”

“…I believe our weeks on Nar Shaddaa are proof to the contrary.”

“Pff, that’s different. The whole purpose of that visit was to lure assholes out, so that we could shoot ‘em. Or stab ‘em, in your case.”  
Shifting back towards the mandalorian, she bumps her hand into Jov’s shoulder.  
“Anyway, you gonna stick around and help us deal with these dickheads?”

It’s said pretty casually, as if she almost expected it, which is why Jov arches her brow towards her friend and smirks, clearly not on the same page.  
“Uh, what? Why would I do that?”

“Because we’re buddies?”

“Yeah, and when was the last time you got me out of trouble, huh? Deal with this on your own, Shodem.”

Bery strides a bit closer, pushing her fingers out to poke Jov’s stomach, even though the armor covers her.  
“I’ll owe you a favor! C’mon, you know you want to. Or maybe we could hire you? We’ve got a lot of credits.”

With her mouth spreading into a slight grin, she lifts her hand to rub Bery’s head playfully.  
“Look, I can get you out if you’re in real trouble, but I’m not gonna help you handle a gang war. You’ll have to fix that one on your own, Voidy.”

The Captain’s pout returns, and not only due to the stupid nickname being used on her.  
“Not fair. It’s not very nice to abandon a friend in need like this, you know.”

“Maybe if you weren’t so eager to constantly mess with everyone around you, that wouldn’t be the case. I wonder if you’ve got some kinda complex, due to being so short.”

“I’m a perfectly average size, you idiot!”  
She bumps her shoulder into Jov, somewhat harder now, although not enough to budge her friend. Jov is much sturdier than the twi’lek.  
“Or, what, are you afraid of a challenge or something, huh?”

There’s a certain shimmer in Jov’s gaze, as if it might’ve triggered a reaction that could be beneficial, unless Bery is misjudging it. The hunter is the one to take the next step, shutting the distance between them almost completely and looks down at her friend.  
“Trying to goad me into this?”

“Who, me? Nah, I just thought I was hanging out with a mandalorian, that’s all. Maybe I was wrong.”

The duo stares at each other silently for a while, trying to determine who’s going to give up first. A few moments later, it does appear that Bery was wrong after all.  
Kneeling down before Bery has a chance to react, Jov slips her arms around the twi’lek’s waist, lifts her friend up and flips Bery over her shoulder. At the same time, the Captain obviously gasps, but she doesn’t really have the chance to counteract it.

Jov directs herself towards Lenorr.  
“Hey, Evintok, you mind if I dump this schutta in some kind of garbage chute?”

Lenorr shrugs carelessly in return.  
“Not at all. Go right ahead.”

As Jov laughs, pats Bery’s butt, and wanders away with her, Bery tries to flail her arm and glares at the Sith.  
“…babe, what the hell?! C’mon, help me out!”

“Once again, you got yourself into this mess, darling.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _The thing that these three women have in common is that they're all good friends with Bery...and they've slept with her at some point in time._   
> 


	12. Skyward natural

Most days, no matter the destination, Bery knows what she’s doing behind the control panels of the Hypertrail. She has been flying this vessel for a big chunk of her life and sat as a pilot on a whole range of different ships pretty much since she was a kid. It’s part of her essence, something instinctive that she is even more familiar with than holding her blasters. That doesn’t mean she can survive any scenario there is, especially against overwhelming odds, but she is definitely one of the best available.  
Even with these facts at the back of her mind, she still doesn’t know if she was ever ready for the day that she’d have Dark Councilor on her ship.

As they exit hyperspace, she looks over at Lenorr, who’s sitting in the co-pilot seat.  
“Alright, you wanna tell ‘em? Think she wanted to see our destination for herself.”

The Sith nods briefly and initiates the ship-wide intercom.  
“Guests of the Hypertrail, this is co-pilot Lenorr. We’ve arrived at the correct star chart coordinates that were provided to us. If you wish, you’re free to come see it from the bridge.”

It doesn’t take more than a few minutes before another person enters the area, this one being a human, with her hair put up into a neat bun. Unlike the bridge crew, she wears a more official outfit, with protective armor over her red robes.  
As soon as she sees them, Acina smiles gently.  
“I must say, it is both pleasant and interesting to finally be on board the Hypertrail in flight. Seeing the engine room while we were in hyperspace definitely gave me an appreciation for all the modifications that miss Drayen has applied to it.”

Bery smirks and glances over her shoulder.  
“Well, the feeling’s mutual; always wanted to take a Dark Councilor for a ride. If you’re ever bored, you should know we’ll reserve a spot for ya”, she says, with an added wink at the end.

Lenorr spots her girlfriend’s gesture, but allows it for now. She also turns to view their passenger.  
“I agree, of course, as it’s very pleasant to have you here, my lord. However, I have to ask, was it really necessary for you to come with us during this mission? Not that I’m complaining, but are you not incredibly busy? We do not wish to cause any issues for you.”

With a brief nod, Acina moves her arms behind her back and takes a few steps forward, so that she stands in the between the two pilot chairs.  
“If I must confess, then yes, I have an astounding amount of activities that I must complete at this time and normally, I would not ignore them for anything.  
Unfortunately, what I’m asking you to pick up today is rakatan tech. I am unsure how familiar you are with it, but it is extremely dangerous and volatile. I would not trust the actual transportation to anyone else, but what sort of partner would I be if I leave you to face this hazard on your own? My technical skill is needed in this endeavor.”

Her words are spoken with conviction, which makes Lenorr look thoughtful and Bery smile.  
“Hey, that seems reasonable to me”, the Captain tells her. “It’s probably not just safer for us, but for the gear as well, if I don’t try to handle it. I’m afraid I’d pull the wrong wire, and everything would explode.”

Acina chuckles, while Lenorr shakes her head.  
“…I seriously doubt that’s how it works”, the pureblood comments.

Shortly after, they hear more footsteps outside, which Acina reacts to.  
“Personally, I also have an inquiry. While your other guests have been very pleasant, are you certain they won’t get in the way? I think I can deal with the details of this tech by myself.”

The door is already open and two more purebloods enter the bridge, ones that the two crew members know quite well by now – Nidesa and Sevatan. Both are dressed in black clothes and armor, with Nidesa’s being lighter and Sevatan wearing more of a coat than a robe.  
“My lord”, Sevatan starts, “as we stated back on Dromund Kaas, we are only here to support you. This assignment is not free of risk, is it?”

Nidesa nods in agreement.  
“My master received word of your plans, which was the very reason he sent one of his best as your escort. A Dark Councilor shouldn’t travel alone, and I assure you that I can protect you against anything, Dark Lord.”

After his sister has spoken, Acina looks skeptical, but Sevatan continues with his own excuse.  
“And let us not forget that, while this is certainly a technological device, it is also an ancient artifact with a lot of history. Darth Imperius believed that it was beneficial to send a member of Ancient Knowledge to enhance the mission’s success rate. I was available and am familiar with this crew, which is why I was chosen.”

As she glances between them, Acina starts looking amused.  
“Hmm, I sincerely doubt that is the only reason why your superiors sent you, but I agree that it might be valuable to have such talented Sith at my side, which is why I haven’t opposed it. That said, I ask you not to get in my way.”

Both siblings bow their heads for her.  
“We would never dream of it, my lord. We are only here to serve you”, Nidesa assures her.

Looking over her own shoulder, Lenorr surveys both of her younger siblings, before she glances towards Acina.  
“If these two troublemakers cause any problems for you, my lord, just come to me and I’ll set them straight.”

That makes the Dark Councilor giggle, while her siblings seem unamused. Sevatan arches one of his eyebrow ridges.  
“…set us straight?”

Nidesa sighs.  
“Very funny, Lenorr.”

Acina offers Lenorr a pleasant smile.  
“Thank you, my dear. If I find myself in that situation, I shall think of you immediately.”

Once they enter the atmosphere of the world that they’ve arrived at, they see a lot of greenery, brown-grey dirt and large blue pools of water. This is apparently some kind of abandoned rakatan world that the Empire located at the edge of its space only a few decades ago and has tried its utmost to send as many Reclamation Service teams in this direction as it can spare. It appears that whatever the Hypertrial is picking up was something they had unearthed.  
Due to world’s rather poor strategical value, there are very few defenses around it, and it seems like the team on the ground is the only available imperial presence at this time.

Acina comes a bit closer to Bery as they fly over the landscape.  
“Do you still have the correct coordinates, Captain?”

Bery’s hands dance over the controls with such ease that it virtually appears as an extension of her body.  
“Mhm, taking us there now. Seems like it’s in the middle of jungle, though, so if you don’t mind, I’ll stay with the ship.”

Acina turns her eyes curiously towards the twi’lek.  
“Don’t wish to experience our surroundings?”

She receives a brief snort from the other woman.  
“Nah, think I’ve seen enough of this terrain on your capital world. We need someone to stay with the Hypertrail anyhow, just in case.  
Besides, I’m more of a city girl.”

That prompts the Dark Councilor to fold her arms and form a small smirk on her lips.  
“I see. So, we will not be taking walks outside of Kaas City together in the future, Captain?”

Bery mirrors her expression and glances up at the human.  
“Do nerds even take walks?”

Lenorr exhales and closes her eyes.  
“…why are you like this?”

Several minutes later, after they’ve landed inside the campsite, Acina exits the ship together with the three purebloods, leaving Bery and Bowdaar behind. On the outside, they can see two more freighters and two shuttles, along with a lot of equipment, tents, weapons and various objects of interest. It’s definitely a Reclamation Service camp, as it’s a very clear mix of archaeological items combined with the military gear needed to defend themselves.

Having already received news of their arrival, one of the nearby expedition members walks up to the Sith team and salutes. Curiously, it’s a female cathar dressed in an imperial uniform, with black and brown fur and sharp yellow eyes.  
“My lord, it’s an honor and a pleasure to have you here”, she says, speaking with an imperial accent which is most often heard on Bosthirda. “I am Lieutenant Farexi.”

Acina gives the lieutenant a respectful nod.  
“A pleasure to meet you too, lieutenant. Do you have the items I am looking for?”

“Yes, Dark Lord. However, I must tell you that we had to secure them with strict containment procedures. It is a routine that was initiated by Darth Imperius, to improve on-site safety for all expeditions.”

“Sounds reasonable. Are they ready for transport?”

“Of course. Follow me.”

As they arrive in the correct area, on the other side of the dig site, they spot several large metallic boxes, with all sorts of weird symbols and lights across their surfaces. For the entire quartet of Sith, it becomes obvious that they’re infused with the Force, as it practically oozes out of them, even with the force fields surrounding them.  
Acina turns to look at Sevatan.  
“Lord Sirrok, I will need your help to assess the accuracy of these items, so that we’re not removing the wrong artifacts. You probably know more of how to safely extract potential information from them anyhow.”

He briefly bows his head.  
“Naturally. I have studied the Reclamation Service reports, as well as been instructed by Darth Imperius personally.”

“Good. Lady Nidesa and Lenorr, you can stand by for now and be ready in case we somehow break security protocols. It might get dangerous.  
Lieutenant, you and your team should stay at a safe distance. I appreciate your actions, but it is best if you leave the details to us Force users. Your team is free to continue your work.”

Everyone proceeds as Acina instructs them, and the process of extracting everything they can from the artifacts and access potential secrets begin, something they want to do before they take these things anywhere.  
A few hours pass by, and even though they almost lose containment at one point, they manage to salvage the situation at the last moment. It makes Acina realize just how dangerous equipment they’re really dealing with, but that may be beneficial for what she’s planning to do with them.

As the time for transferring the items into the Hypertrail approaches, Acina notes how she receives a call on her wrist-communicator, seeing that it’s from Bery.  
“Yes, Captain?”

The device does not have a holographic display, so Acina and the rest only hear the twi’lek’s voice.  
“Uh, don’t wanna worry you guys, but our sensors just picked up movement in the system. Another ship is closing in on the planet.”

Acina blinks confusedly as she tries to consider who that might be. She didn’t call for reinforcements, did she?  
“A ship? From who?”

“I dunno. Haven’t been able to grab any identification from this range, so I can only see that it’s coming this way. We should be able to see it in orbit soon enough.”

After having been given a few minutes to prepare themselves, the group eventually spots something up in the sky – it’s a cruiser of some kind, with a fairly familiar design. There are a few smaller ships surrounding it, like dots in the air.  
“Are those imperial vessels?”, Nidesa asks.

Based on the shape and colors of the main ship, it would indeed seem to be one from the Empire, but it’s Acina who first notices the small differences in certain patterns, and not just by the markings.  
It is what makes her frown.  
“No. Those are not our allies.”

Another report from Bery arrives shortly after.  
“Yeah, I’ve got better readings from our scanners now. Definitely, uh…definitely the layout of Sith crafts, but they don’t have your identifications. Might be stolen ships.”

Acina’s scowl deepens.  
“Oh, they are certainly acquired ships, Captain. There’s no doubt about that.”

Lenorr turns her gaze to Acina.  
“What do you mean? Who do they belong to?”

Before she has a chance to respond, Farexi hurries over to them from where she was working with her team.  
“My lord! We’ve received an incoming holocall from the arriving vessels. I thought you might wish to take it.”

Taking a deep breath, Acina nods sharply.  
“Go ahead, lieutenant.”

Seeing no need to leave, the officer stays to hold the communicator for her and then pushes the correct button.  
Above it, the hologram of a red-skinned male zabrak appears, dressed in orange and grey armor with faction markings that have now become somewhat familiar to the team, but not in a good way.  
“Expedition team of the Sith Empire, this is Lord Veltarron of the New Empire. We are in orbit of this planet and we have our cannons aimed at your position. I am ordering you to stand down and prepare for our arrival, as we-“  
He suddenly stops when he sees who he’s really addressing, which makes him arch an eyebrow.  
“Hold on. Aren’t you…”  
After watching her for a few moments, his eyes slowly widen and then he tilts his head back to laugh.  
“My my, now this is a fascinating development. Darth Acina? Not who I expected to run into in the middle of nowhere.”

Acina’s frown has returned and she crosses her arms.  
“My face is that familiar to you, hmm? I suppose Malgus must have brought pictures from our meetings. Quite discouraging, I must say. He was always a rather unpleasant figure.”

Veltarron’s good mood doesn’t disperse, despite Acina’s insults.  
“When I acquired this mission, I was told it was a fairly boring one, to deal with a simple small team of diggers that had found some interesting artifacts. Never could I have anticipated a Dark Councilor. Not very well protected, are you? The old Empire must have really collapsed with our departure, if this is all it can do for its leaders.”

If she looks up at the sky, Acina can see the cruiser far above, with the smaller ships circling it. Definitely not a big fleet, but certainly enough to deal with the team’s meager resistance.  
“How did you know we would be here?”

He scoffs in return.  
“A stupid question. We know everything about the so-called 'Sith Empire', and you cannot go anywhere without us tracking you. This is why you will lose this war.  
Now, I believe my demands should be really clear already, but just in case – surrender yourselves and all of your artifacts, or we will be forced to bombard your little campsite. We do want these treasures, but the death of a Dark Councilor will be just as much of a victory, should you resist. We will not show mercy to enemies that do not know their place.”

Acina quickly realizes what a bind they’ve ended up in. She does not wish to simply relinquish these valuable discoveries, but how can they fight against blaster cannons aimed right at them? It’s not like they have shield for the camp.  
That said, what happens once they’ve left the gear behind? Will they be free to leave, or will the enemy shoot them anyhow? She can’t sacrifice these many lives for no reason. Should they perhaps try to flee? It’s not like the cruiser will watch their movements completely, right?

She emits a brief sigh as she tries to come to a decision.  
“I…”  
Before she can give her response, she hears her wrist-communicator again and that makes her both surprised and intrigued.  
“Hmm. Can you hold for a moment?”, she says and indicates for the lieutenant to proceed.

Veltarron looks confused.  
“What? Wait, you can’t just-“

Fortunately, Farexi interrupts him by pushing the button to pause the call. Acina then answers her own comm device.  
“Yes, Captain? We’re in a bit of a tense situation right now, as you might imagine.”

“Yeah, I’m aware. I’ve been listening in on the call. Look, don’t do what he says, alright? I’ve got an idea.”

Acina arches her brow curiously.  
“Is that so? Enlighten me.”

“I may have a plan for how to deal with that cruiser, but I need to get into the hangars of their ship. The blast doors are bound to be closed at the moment, but that can change if they decide to use 'em.  
Could you distract the guy somehow? If you get him down to the surface, I can handle the cruiser.”

The explanation makes it seem like she does indeed have a plan, but Lenorr looks both surprised and alarmed.  
“What? Bery, you can’t-…this is madness! You can’t deal with a cruiser of that size all on your own.”

She hears a sharp snort on the other side.  
“Hey, don’t underestimate me, babe. I’m not the best pilot in the galaxy for nothing, you know.  
Just get me access to their hangars, and you’ll see what the Hypertrail is really capable of.”

Even though Lenorr does not seem to approve, Acina nods slowly.  
“I understand. Even if it does sound dangerous, we shall have to trust in your skills, Captain.”

Lenorr gazes at Acina, as if she got hit by the same nonsense.  
“…my lord! Seriously, you can’t just agree with her. This will not end-“

Bery interrupts her on the other side of the comm.  
“Thanks, I’ll make it happen. Just get him out of my way, and we’ll win this.”

She ends the call, which also makes Lenorr sigh heavily. Acina can sense clear emotions of worry in the other Sith, but she has to focus on her part of the plan.  
Acina turns back to Farexi and points at her. The lieutenant resumes the first call, where they can all see a rather pissed off Veltarron.  
“What is the meaning of this, Acina?! You can’t just cut me off like this!”

“My sincerest apologies, Lord Veltarron. I did not mean to cause offense, of course, but I needed to have a short strategic gathering.  
I have decided that we would be willing to surrender all of our equipment to you, if that is what it takes. However, is that really what you want?”

Veltarron enters a state of combined confusion and anger.  
“What do you mean?”

“Are you a Sith or a coward, Veltarron? I may only be an engineer, but I am always ready to fight for my own honor and the strength of the Sith Empire – the _real_ Empire. Can you say the same, sitting up there in your cozy secured ship with no opposition?  
If you were an actual Sith, you would come down here and face me, in honorable battle.”

Her words are spoken quite fiercely, making it clear that she’s not one to stand down so easily.  
Veltarron raises his hand to stroke at his chin in thought.  
“Hmm. Quite an obvious ploy, don’t you think? That said, I do sense that you are very confident.  
You think I’m nothing, don’t you? That you can take me in a duel whenever you like? Because I’m an alien and you are from the oh-so-mighty Dark Council.”  
He snorts derisively.  
“We’ll see about that. Await my arrival.”

The holocall ends and Nidesa smiles at Acina.  
“Well done, my lord. You manipulated his pride quite efficiently. Darth Vowrawn would be pleased.”

Acina appears rather smug as she smirks.  
“Thank you. I may have learned a few tricks specifically for this type of occasion.”

Even if Lenorr still looks worried, she clearly can’t stay out of this battle.  
“I don’t know his name, but he may still be a capable Sith. If you wish, I could act as your champion, my lord.”

If Acina was amused before, that increases substantially now as she glances at the taller pureblood. She gently pats Lenorr’s shoulder.  
“A very charming offer, my dear, but I know what I’m doing. They did not assign me to the rank of Darth for no reason. Let me handle this.”

Shortly after they see how Veltarron’s shuttle has left his cruiser, they notice how the Hypertrail lifts up into the sky and takes off, flying towards the south, away from their location and then up into the air. Lenorr looks very worried, but she allows it to happen. Not like she has a choice.  
As Veltarron’s vessel lands, he does not step out alone, as he’s also accompanied by at least a dozen New Imperial troops. The Hypertrail is already far off in the distance when he approaches.

“And what’s this? Your ride left without you?”

Acina produces false emotions of anger and humiliation through the Force, as she furrows her brow.  
“Unfortunately, yes. It appears we chose an unwise freelancer to hire. I should’ve known not to put my trust in a smuggler. They’re all cowards.”

That amuses her foe even further.  
“Hah! So, the old Empire’s allies don’t even believe in them? See, this is why you are nothing and we are the future.  
Now, shall we do this? And I want a proper duel. No tricks from any of you, and no interference from any other Sith, or I will order the bombardment of this site in a matter of seconds. Don’t believe I would be afraid to destroy myself. My sacrifice is worth it to take down a Dark Councilor.”

From what Acina can sense from his mind, it appears he’s telling the truth. Probably some kind of fanatic when it comes to Malgus’ cause.  
“I did promise one, did I not? I stand by my word, compared to some.”  
She puts her hand on her lightsaber and gestures for the rest to step back.  
“Give us some space and do not intervene. I will handle this matter on my own.”

The rest of the team still look worried, especially due to the manner that these two have chosen to battle, but they follow orders. The entire Evintok trio can only watch in doubt as the duel between the two Sith Lords begin, utilizing nothing more than lightsabers, as the New Empire’s soldiers stand prepared nearby and the cannons in orbit are still menacingly aimed at them.  
Even if Acina is quite talented in the Force, it appears that lightsaber fights are not her expertise and Veltarron quickly gains the upper hand. In her mind, all she can really hope for is to hold him off long enough for Bery to succeed.  


* * *

  
In the meantime, up in orbit, the Captain herself sits behind the controls of the Hypertrail, making preparations for the strike. She does feel the pressure, that if she doesn’t succeed here, she will endanger the lives of some of the people she cares for the most, but that will not stop her.  
Luckily, it’s during stressful situation that she has done some of her best work. It’s not like she has never taken on ships bigger than hers, but this cruiser does seem to be equipped very well too.

With Bowdaar as her co-pilot now, Bery increases the speed of their thrusters, pushing it past its normal limit and flies straight towards the enemy craft. Obviously, she had not expected that it’d go unnoticed and shortly after, the smaller turrets on the vessel turns towards them, throwing a rain of blaster fire in their direction.  
The Hypertrail does not slow down and with an impressive display of reflexes, it evades almost every shot, spinning around and zigzagging forth in order to be a more difficult target. Their shields don’t even deplete past 80%. There’s a specific aspect of the firing pattern which makes Bery grin.

“I mean, what the hell is this? Did they honestly believe they could hit me with automated turrets? C’mon, I’m insulted!”

When they get close enough, Bery smirks as she sees how the idiots have neither shut their hangar doors, nor put their shields up; they probably assume the hull plating will be enough to protect them. At the same time as she evades their fire, which she feels becomes more panicked by the second, she takes them in that direction.  
In a last act of desperation, the cruiser unleashes half a dozen starfighters that they hope can stop the Hypertrail’s progress, by overwhelming its position.

“Bowie, make sure to give these assholes some trouble, will ya? I’ll handle the blaster turrets.”

“Yes, Captain”, he tells her in his native tongue. “I’ll have to ignore power reroutes, though.”

“Ah, don’t worry about that. These guys can’t even hit me in their dreams.”

With a united effort between the two, as Bowdaar distracts the starfighters with shots from the Hypertrail’s weapons and Bery effectively avoids letting them become too damaged, they eventually arrive close to their destination.  
The cruiser’s crew clearly misjudged what the Hypertrail’s purpose was, as they seem to have believed that the freighter was trying to go in above, potentially try to bombard them, but that was never Bery’s plan.

Moments later, the ship bursts into one of the cruiser’s hangar bay, past the force field, and as soon as they enter, Bery rotates the ship around and sprays it with their blasters, not only destroying the force field generators that makes a lot of equipment and personnel go flying straight into space, but also destroys any internal containers, turrets and potential vital systems.  
After they leave and approach the next location, she tries to gain some distance, and then drops a final gift, by firing one of their torpedoes right into the bay, increasing the devastation even further. Alarm signals go off and internal damage is growing by the second. Clearly, they had not expected this type of weaponry on a freighter.

Bery tilts her head back and laughs as they quickly switch angle, aiming for the next hangar bay, hoping to destroy it before the crew can contain any damage. The starfighters, being so confused about what to do, was heading in their direction, but instead gets the Hypertrail whizzing past them. They can’t keep up with its speed and maneuvers.  
The second torpedo launch is somewhat sloppier, as the blast doors are closing. Bery enters the bay, destroys the force field generators and then immediately tries to leave, firing the missile in their wake. Due to their vicinity, the Hypertrail is knocked away by the shockwave, but the damage is mostly absorbed by the shields.

This is when they’re met with the starfighter team, who hope to do their job for once, but unfortunately underestimate who they’ve engaged. The Hypertrail spins around to avoid their blasters, before unleashing a few shots that takes out at least two enemies. With a third being injured, the group has no choice but to retreat.  
Prior to leaving the ship behind, Bery wishes to punch the cruiser one last time, which is why she takes out some of the smaller exterior blaster turrets with the Hypertrail’s lasers. That should leave it a bit more vulnerable in the future.

Once they’re under too much fire, she turns around and initiates their increased thrusters to leave it behind. Shields are still above 50%.  
Bery grins as she sees how the cruiser is slowly being pulled into the atmosphere of the planet, due to some of their systems malfunctioning.  
“Don’t think they’ll be messing with our pals anytime soon.”  


* * *

  
The act from above does not go unnoticed in the fight on the surface, as the explosions can both be seen and heard. Lord Veltarron has to halt his next assault as he witnesses the destruction with widened eyes.  
“W-what? No! You tricked us! I should’ve known not to trust false Sith.  
Soldiers, attack!”

Now that she no longer needs to maintain the charade of a duel, Acina lowers her lightsaber and stops holding back. Instead, launches a fierce stream of lightning towards Veltarron, which brings him to his knees.  
At the same time, as the soldiers try to help him, they are no match for the three purebloods that jump into the fray with lightsabers, pushing their foes back through the Force and cutting them down when given the chance.

After disarming her opponent, Acina unleashes her power into him, until she can effectively shove him to the ground. Standing above him, she holds her own lightsaber at his throat and gazes into his painfilled eyes.  
“Now then, my dear 'new Sith', I believe you and I shall have a chat about where exactly you attained your information from.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _See? I let Bery shine too! Okay, it wasn't a long battle, but I wanted the focus to be on the interaction between Acina and the team._   
>  _I haven't done much piloting scenarios with Bery (if any? I can't remember), but this is pretty much her foremost skill, even more so than the gunslinger stuff. In space (and the skies) she's often unbeatable, unless the ship she faces can resist her weapons. But, as you saw here, she has ways to get past those defenses too. The Hypertrail is equipped way above the normal for a freighter._


	13. Flexible roles

While Risha has not had a chance to join her friends in the Hypertrail much anymore, this does not mean she never seizes the opportunity to travel. In fact, for purposes of better establishing their company and its brand, she often has to go directly to various regions, in order to speak with corporate entities or to attend conventions. It’s difficult for her to say if she actually enjoys all of it, but as she has shown to be rather successful at manipulating this section of the galaxy as well, she doesn’t see why she should stop.

Her most recent excursion did not only take her into Republic space, but towards Coruscant itself. They already have a pretty decent deal with some of the senators and other government officials, but not so much with some of the more famous corporations. It was time to fix that.  
Once it was all said and done, and she got on the small ship she uses to fly back towards Port Zodric, she heard a rather interesting rumor. Apparently, a small group of Jedi were supposed to be gathered on a planet that is practically on the way. She was going to dismiss the endeavor entirely…but that is when she heard of a particular Jedi Master currently being stationed there. How could she possibly ignore an opportunity for a surprise visit?

When she enters this world’s atmosphere and heads towards the area where the Jedi enclave is supposed to be, she finds herself outside of any cities or towns, closer to in a calm countryside region. They have rather large fields and even some farmlands as neighbors, which she could see the potential benefit of for this type of people. She briefly wonders if her girlfriend ever engages in that kind of activity, and finds the whole image quite funny. Best not to laugh at her if this happens to be the truth, though.

At the gates of this area, Risha encounters two people in robes who are currently meditating on the grass. One of them appears to be a bothan, while the other is nikto. Both of them open their eyes when she is in range and it’s the former who speaks to her in a serene voice.  
“Greetings. You have arrived at a Jedi sanctuary. Have you made an appointment?”

Risha arches her brow curiously. Are these receptionists? Don’t really seem like it. She corrects the navy-blue suit she’s wearing and folds her arms.  
“Uh, no. Do I have to?”

“Yes. For the serenity and security of the inhabitants, we prefer if people let us know beforehand that they are coming. We have students within, and their lessons must not be disrupted. This is why we only allow a certain kind of guests.”

Sounds like a somewhat tricky situation, but Risha is pretty sure she can get past him without having to call for her companion. She offers him a smile to begin with.  
“I see. Well, you shouldn’t be too worried about me. I came here to speak with master Sumalee. I heard she was here.”

He glances at his companion for a moment, before he turns to look at her curiously.  
“Sumalee? Why?”

“Oh, we’re old friends and I come to visit her from time to time. I’m certain she would be very happy to see me right now, if you just let me in. That’s not too much to ask, is it? I promise I won’t cause any problems.”

This statement is technically true, as far as the Jedi go, but there’s also the possibility that she’ll be quite a bit of trouble for Sumalee. Not like she’s going to mention that to these two, however.  
The bothan still appears rather skeptical, but tries his best to be cordial.  
“Well…I suppose it is not, but I’m not sure how wise it would be to let you go unsupervised. Perhaps it’s best if I come with you as an escort.”

Risha smirks and folds her arms.  
“What, so you that could listen in to what the two young women wish to speak of? I think that’s quite inappropriate on its own.”

“That’s…that’s not what I-“

“Relax, it was a joke.”  
She opens her suit and holds it there while she slowly spins around.  
“Look, I don’t have any weapons or tools that could hurt anyone anyhow. All I want to do is talk to my friend. What possible issue could there be with such a harmless request? Afraid one small woman can cause devastation by simply walking around?”

She seems to have successfully created doubt and sympathy in the two, which gives her the passage she needs.  
“…alright, fine. You may proceed unsupervised, I suppose. Just don’t go wandering too much. This is still not a place for civilians.”

Risha smiles charmingly and starts to walk past them once more.  
“Don’t worry, you won’t even notice my presence, I promise.”

After this amusing encounter, she continues inside the largest building in the vicinity, assuming she will find her companion somewhere nearby. This route takes her past several other doors and a lot of young Jedi who looks at her with confused expressions, but no one prevents her from proceeding. If she has gotten past the caretakers at the front, it appears no one will make any attempts at stopping her progress. Seems like a decent way to think, in her eyes.

The location she arrives at when she finally finds Sumalee is rather interesting, but more so because of the people and not so much the atmosphere. In fact, Risha would almost go so far as to call it humorous.  
The togruta is not alone where she’s standing in this large open space, with windows in several places for visibility, but has several Jedi initiates in front of her. A whole group of them, probably two dozen or so and most of them appear to be teenagers. The assignment is so obvious that it’s almost laughable – lightsaber training, of course. What else would they put Sumalee on? She’s not known for her profound serenity.

She and pretty much all of the initiates are holding onto training sabers. While the kids – or ‘younglings’ – are currently sitting and listening, Sumalee gets into a lot of different poses. For now, Risha waits a few moments while she observes.  
“Using a lightsaber is not just about swinging your weapon and hitting something. There are a variety of techniques – forms, as we call them – which can help you when you enter actual combat.  
There is the balanced form of Shii-Cho for example, which tries to combine deliberate tactics with a wild determination. Some find it too unpredictable to use, but if trained properly, it can be a very useful tool.  
There is also Soresu, known to some as the ‘Resilience form’, which is trained and utilized by many of our toughest guardians. It is adept in lightsaber combat, but is particularly useful when fighting against blaster-wielding foes, to become a wall of reflective capabilities.”

Before she can get any further, Risha approaches her location and speaks up, interrupting her friend.  
“But you have to admit that the most important lesson to learn is ‘aim for the heart’, right? Or is that only in the Sith teachings? I can never remember.”

The rather playful tone surprises most of the younger people nearby, while Sumalee is obviously shocked to simply hear her voice.  
“…Risha?”

The human wanders up to her with a small smirk, waving at her before she gets too close.  
“Hope I’m not getting in the way. It was becoming kinda boring listening to it, though. Should’ve swung that blade around some more, to give us some action.”

Sumalee sighs and is about to respond, but the rather casual tones used here, appears to have made the students curious.  
“Master, who is this?”, asks one of them.

They all notice how Sumalee widens her eyes as she watches them, only briefly glancing in Risha’s direction. How is she supposed to explain this? She didn’t even know she’d get company.  
“Uh, she’s….”

Finding this situation all too amusing to ignore, Risha wanders up very close to her girlfriend, almost to the extent where they touch.  
“Oh, I’m just a very close friend of your dear master here.”

Seeing how the togruta’s lekkus twitches in a certain way, Risha can only assume that she’s either embarrassed or somewhat uncomfortable. Maybe both.  
“Erm, yeah. We, uh…met a while ago. She’s one of the non-Jedi I’m acquainted with.”

Acquainted with, huh? That makes Risha smirk. She puts a hand on Sumalee’s arm, gently caressing it with her fingers.  
“Tsk, so modest. She and I are actually intimately familiar with each other. We spent several years together in our youth. Had a lot of fun in some very strange places.”

Slowly turning to face her girlfriend, Sumalee furrows her brow and whispers.  
“Please, don’t…say anything.”

Risha’s expression is shifting into what appears to be a grin instead, even if she tries to hide it. As her companion seemingly wants to keep it silent, she’ll proceed in this volume, for now.  
“Now, what could I possibly have said that would make you so tense, my dear sweet Jedi?”  
Before Sumalee can say anything in return, Risha has turned to face the students again.  
“Kids, one aspect that is important to remember in your training – and in any facet of your lives – is flexibility. This counts both in the physical and mental realm.”

“Risha…”

“In the mental one, it’s good to always look outside the box, keep an open mind, so you don’t turn people into enemies. This will make it easier for you to…get new friends.  
As for the physical…”  
She stops and strokes her chin in thought.  
“Well…I think that’s actually something to preserve until you’re a little bit older.”

Sumalee shuts her eyes and exhales.  
“Please. They’re Jedi.”

“So are you.”

Clearing her throat, Sumalee gestures for the initiates to get up.  
“Anyhow, it’s probably best if you all start your exercises immediately. Begin with some basic sparring and test each of the forms when you’re ready, starting with Shii-Cho.”

“What will you be doing, master?”, one of the kids asks.

She glances sideways at her unexpected companion.  
“I just…need to have a small chat with this nice lady next to me.”

Risha’s eyes shimmer with amusement.  
“Oh, I’m a nice lady now, am I?”

After Sumalee puts a hand to her back and starts guiding her away, Risha winks at the kids before they walk away.  
Just as they’re about to get out of range, Risha feels another mischievous wave coming over her. She considers ignoring it, but what would be the fun in never creating some trouble? This is why she shifts the location of her hand while Sumalee doesn’t notice and before she has a chance to react, swiftly moves it towards her rear in a light spank.

A few of the kid hear it, especially due to Sumalee’s gasp. This pushes her to go even quicker, dragging Risha along with her. She sends her companion a rather fierce glare as well.  
“…you are going to regret that.”

Risha grins back at her.  
“Try me.”

Sumalee drags the other woman all the way to her room and once they get inside, she swiftly closes the automated door, raises a hand to her forehead and sighs.  
“…why must you be so difficult? Why can’t you just tell me beforehand when you decide to go somewhere? We’ve talked about this and I’ve told you that it’s not a good idea to just-“

It appears that her plan was to scold the mechanic, but Risha isn’t having any of it. Instead, she raises her hands to grab the front of Sumalee’s clothes, and then pushes her straight into the closest wall. There is hardly even a moment for the Jedi to consider what’s happening, before her lips are enveloped by those of her girlfriend, forcing her into a deep and craving kiss.  
Sumalee wants to protest, to throw Risha off and tell her that it’s not okay to mess around like this in public, but…it’s hard. It’s hard to be angry when her girlfriend is so damn alluring. Why is it so annoyingly satisfying to let Risha have her way?

Once they part slightly, with their bodies still closely collided, Risha slowly opens her eyes and runs a few fingers down Sumalee’s cheek.  
“I’ve missed you.”

Even if she intends to complain, Sumalee tilts her head and puts her lips to the palm of the hand.  
“…if it weren’t for those damn kisses, I’d be furious right now.”

Risha giggles at her partner’s failed attempts and leans closer, in order to nuzzle into Sumalee’s cheek.  
“I’m sorry about what I did earlier, but I blame how adorable you are when you're teased. I never get this chance normally, as we always meet in secret.”

She shouldn’t really allow this, after that previous display, but Sumalee can’t help it. She wraps her arms around Risha’s waist, letting them remain close.  
“Well, that’s because it’d be dangerous if people find out.”

“Isn’t the danger what makes this all the more satisfying, though?”

It is true that she complains and worries, but Risha is very well aware that Sumalee enjoys it regardless. She won’t admit it, but it can’t be denied that she finds Risha too tempting to simply discard.  
“Fine, you win. For now,” she agrees. She lifts one of her hands, to stroke it through her girlfriend’s hair.  
“So, what brought you to our enclave? Did you come here to mess my entire Jedi career up, or was that just a bonus?”

That makes Risha snicker.  
“Aww, don’t pout so much, sweetheart. You know I’d never want to ruin your life. Just…keeping you on your toes.”

Sumalee rolls her eyes.  
“…I’m not pouting.”

“As for why I’m here, well…do I need a reason? Can’t I just go see my girlfriend every now and then? Didn’t know you cherished the Jedi Code that badly.”

Another slight manipulative act, as she knows Sumalee will now feel somewhat guilty, unless she reads into Risha’s emotions. Still, it’s mostly to make her more lenient.  
“Oh, come on”, she says, while sighing. “You know you’re always allowed to and it’s not what I meant. I just want to avoid the questions they’ll throw at us if this kind of thing continues. Neither of us want to get into too much trouble, do we?”

“Hmm. Don’t we, though? Pretty sure people didn’t call us the ‘Triple polite girls’ in the past.”

“…that was in the past. We’re not that group anymore.”

Risha smiles and tilts her head back somewhat, so that she can view Sumalee’s lovely eyes.  
“Well, I dunno. In certain ways, I feel like we should be.  
And look, I understand your point, but I also want to be able to stop by when I get the chance. I had some meetings to attend at Coruscant and after they were done, this place was on the way back. Seemed like a decent trip.”

Sumalee views the other woman’s gaze carefully, searching through the emotions currently offered by Risha, but finds nothing deceptive. She exhales slowly.  
“Yeah, okay, I…guess that’s fair. I still feel like you should’ve told me, though, so I could prepare. Would’ve given me a chance to make your visit smoother.”

“Mm, I suppose that’s not an entirely unreasonable view. I’ll keep it in mind for next time.”

“…next time?”

Another small smirk flickers onto Risha’s lips.  
“Yeah, why not? I kinda like this place. Seems very peaceful.”

Not looking quite as confident, Sumalee hesitates prior to responding.  
“Well, it is, yes. It’s one of the locations where the Jedi has managed to survive for quite a while.”

“And there’s lots of space too. How about going for a walk later? I’m sure they won’t mind that you step out for some fresh air every now and then, right?”

The suggestion is made in a gentle fashion and there’s nothing immediately wrong with it. Sumalee has to acquiesce that she would enjoy spending time with someone she cares for as well. The war keeps her way too distracted.  
“That does actually sound like a decent idea. I might need a few hours with my initiates before we get into it, though.”

“Fair enough.”  
With a somewhat playful look on her face, Risha pushes herself closer, running her hand further down.  
“Didn’t know you were suddenly a tutor. I know you’re a ‘master’ and all, but I’ve never even seen you with a padawan before.”

It appears that Sumalee has relaxed enough to emit a brief chuckle.  
“True. I guess I just haven’t entered the mindset where I can have one yet. Being a teacher is…hard, even more so when you don’t fully know your own place. At this time, I prefer to occasionally tutor the younger students. This might change later, though.  
I’m still a pretty new master and due to the war, there hasn’t really been much time to settle down and consider what I can do to contribute with such things. If we actually manage to finish this thing and don’t lose, then who knows? It would be nice to find a potential padawan.”

Risha tilts her head curiously and she looks fairly interested at this notion as well.  
“Hmm, it could be, yeah. You were certainly pretty decent with those kids and they seemed to like you.  
Maybe we should consider if that might be useful someday.”

Sumalee is confused at first.  
“Useful? For what?” She doesn’t need to wonder for long, though, as she suddenly realizes what’s going on when Risha wiggles her eyebrows suggestively. That makes the togruta widen her eyes and her lekkus curls somewhat shyly.  
“…oh. That’s, uh…I hadn’t thought of that. Are you saying that you actually want to…?”

“Well, I don’t know. Maybe not yet, but some day? Unless you don’t agree, of course. It would be a nice future prospect, I think.  
Besides, the people over at Dubrillion probably expects a ‘royal heir’, if I ever get my throne back. Don’t think they care what method I use to receive one, whether technological or not.”

Even if it perhaps shouldn’t be such a serious topic, Sumalee still appears somewhat awkward, her lekkus twitching and twisting around themselves. One of them eventually searches for Risha, touching her shoulder.  
“And…you really want me as a second mother?”

Risha offers her a sweet and loving smile.  
“Why wouldn’t I? There is nothing about you that I don’t like and that I wouldn’t want to see in my kids.  
Besides, having Force sensitivity would probably be quite a useful tool if they want to protect themselves from future assassination attempts.”

That makes the Jedi laugh.  
“Not sure how I feel about affecting your royal line in such a drastic fashion, but…for you, I guess I could make an exception.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _Yeah, Risha's behavior may be somewhat inspired by Bery as of late. Although, I've always read her as slightly more mischievous anyway._


	14. A Sith's bounty

It can’t be denied that the Hypertrail has become quite a common sight in imperial space recently, which is a major development from how it used to be no more than a year ago. It has been attacked and hounded by their ships throughout many sectors of the galaxy, to the extent that it practically had a target on its hull. Now, all of that has changed and they are allowed to go anywhere they please.  
Well, almost everywhere. There are still certain systems and planets that would be best to avoid, either due to of the dangers the worlds offer or because the imperials wouldn’t permit their entry. Today’s visit should really be included in the latter option and yet they are making this trip regardless.

As the ship exits hyperspace, a planet appears both through their windows and on the scanners - Jaguada. While Bery focuses on correcting any potential errors on other nearby consoles, Lenorr’s eyes are drawn to the sight of the entity. There’s a streak of concern running across her expression. It has been there ever since they received the invitation.  
“I’m still surprised that Darth Acina would send us here. The testing facility on this world is supposed to be secret and heavily secured. I don’t believe it’s wise for anyone from outside of the Empire to go there, without expecting…repercussions. Even those of her Sphere would probably agree.”

It appears Bery doesn’t share her skepticism, as she’s smiling. After glancing in her girlfriend’s direction, she shrugs.  
“I dunno, I think it’s kinda exciting. It’ll be cool to have a look at what the imps are hiding down there. And hey, couldn’t hurt to get cozy with a powerful Sith, right?”

Leave it to this twi’lek to not even be concerned about the most blatantly dangerous prospects. She wonders if there’s anything that the Captain won’t twist into some type of entertainment.  
“I can’t tell for sure. We should be careful, just in case. Some Sith can be very…strange, when they become intimate with others.”

“Pff, c’mon. Why would you worry about that? I mean, I’m close to you.”

Lenorr glances at her companion knowingly.  
“Yes, and look how I reacted before I accepted our bond.”

Very brief flashbacks from the time before the defeat of the Voidwolf reaches Bery’s mind and certain…unfortunate confrontations. To dismiss those right now would probably not be fair.  
“Eh…good point.”

“Exactly. So, let’s at least be mindful, shall we?”

“Ah, it’ll be fine. Mindful is like my middle name. I’ll know when we’re in trouble.”

Lenorr sighs.  
“If you say so, dear.”

Once they head through the atmosphere of the rather barren world, they fly straight towards one of the few cities on the surface, which is protected by various shields and barriers from potential dangers or polluted air.  
After wandering through the spaceport, they are directed to a specific section of the city, which they see have quite a few warning signs and alerts that trespassers will not be tolerated. Many of the walls are lined with automated turrets and soldiers, and it’s not hard to guess that there are probably loads of traps down here too. What has the duo gotten themselves into?

What makes Lenorr even more concerned is that they also have to go below the surface. Not entirely unexpected, but it means their escape options will be very limited. It’s not like she entirely distrusts Acina either, but…  
Best not to dwell on it. The Dark Councilor has been good to them, and maybe she is trying to judge the human based on her own feelings and experiences, which is not fair. Lenorr handled potential companionship in a very volatile way. Acina does not appear to be as unstable.

When they actually reach the Councilor’s location, they find her down in one of the labs, far beneath the surface. It appears her team is conducting some type of tests with a particular device, something that one of the assistants inform the duo is the scanner prototype they've been building. From a distance, they can spot how some familiar pieces have been implemented into the device too, as it’s now a combined creation of imperial and rakatan design.

The machine itself doesn’t really look like much, as it’s a mere box, with several antennas, wires and discs poking out from it. There are a bunch of lights flashing here and there, but nothing that would make it particularly appealing. It is vibrating and making a lot of racket, but still appears to be effective, at least based on the excited expression of the personnel nearby. It is sending out invisible shockwaves of some sort, which seemingly affect sensors within the sealed space where they’ve secured it.

One of Acina’s subordinates turns towards her and eagerly examines her reaction.  
“I believe we’ve achieved the appropriate goals, my lord. The scanner should now have reached the right frequency, and we will be able to detect Malgus’ stealth ships. I think it’s ready.”

The Sith herself raises a hand to tap her chin in thought, but nods rather slowly afterwards.  
“True, it does deserve the chance, but I believe we should be careful. It’s draining too much power right now and this requires some efficiency adjustments.”

“Of course, but…well, that is not enough to prevent us from at least attempting a field test, is it? We won’t know of its true potential without trying.”

“Agreed. Make a few more tweaks, if you can, and then send me the reports later. I will be contacting Darth Marr, to discuss which ship he can provide us with that would suit our project.”

“Yes, my lord.”

Acina turns around and faces the duo, likely having sensed both of them coming, or at least Lenorr. She smiles as they close the distance to each other and offers her hand.  
“Captain, lady Evintok, I’m pleased you could arrive at this moment. You witnessed the demonstration, did you not? What did you think of our device?”

Lenorr merely stands there with a contemplative gaze, while Bery is not as adept at hiding her emotions. She seems somewhat hesitant as she takes the hand.  
“Uh, I mean, it definitely looks impressive. But, honestly…I have no idea what it does. Other than it’s a scanner, which I only know because you told me.”

Following this, Lenorr clears her throat.  
“I…tend to agree.  
If it can achieve what you’ve said, however, then it will be most beneficial to the Empire.”

Acina chuckles, clearly amused by their wish to praise her without actually knowing what’s going on.  
“I’m glad you approve, but I suppose I hadn’t expected you to be able to follow our technical descriptions. And yes, it will certainly be useful to us in this conflict, but we don’t know if it is fully completed yet. It must be utilized in battle at some point, to test its capabilities.”

Bery folds her arms, hoping that’s not an implication for why they’re here.  
“Eh, not to be rude or anything, but you're not expecting us to do that, are you? I’m all for dangerous and exciting missions, but…”

The human’s eyes shimmer with increased amusement when she views the twi’lek.  
“I thought you enjoyed hazardous flights, Captain.”

“…not in war. I know I’m the best and all, but the best also knows what situations to avoid.”

What she pulled off a few weeks ago on the world that they dug up the rakatan artifacts would indicate that she might be an asset to any fleet, but also that she prefers doing things solo.  
Thankfully, Acina gently pats her shoulder.  
“No need to be so nervous, Captain. I would not mount our scanner on the Hypertrail anyhow. It requires a cruiser at minimum.  
Besides, this wasn’t why I asked either of you to come to Jaguada. I doubt that we could pique your interest with a mere demonstration.”

“Yeah, the techy nerd stuff is your thing.”

Lenorr nudges a shoulder into Bery, but Acina doesn’t seem to mind either way.  
“You’re right, of course, which is why I thought I’d invite you to come relax with me for a while. I was going for a walk in the park.”

Bery blinks confusedly.  
“Huh? What park? I didn’t see anything like that on the outside.”

“Oh, of course not. The park isn’t on the surface – we constructed an artificial one here in this facility. It’s a couple of levels above. We had it installed specifically to let people refresh themselves and give them someplace to wander, instead of their own quarters. Not quite the same as the real thing, but I’ve noticed that it has improved morale.”

“Wow. Your own park in the lab? That’s some weird luxury. Wish I had a module like that in the Hypertrail.”

Acina gestures towards the path back to the elevator.  
“Would you like join me then? Unless it’s not ‘city’ enough for you, Captain.”

Due to the added wink at the end, Bery can’t help but smirk at her and approach the Councilor’s side.  
“Tsk. The city isn’t the only landscape I enjoy, you know. But hey, let’s go for it. Wanna see if your park can beat those on Corellia.”  
She glances over her shoulder at the pureblood.  
“You up for it, babe?”

Lenorr watches both of them, being able to observe their expectant faces, and while she is not as quick as her girlfriend to get comfortable, she will acquiesce to their wishes. For now, anyway.  
“Fine, fine. I suppose it might be…stimulating.”

Taking the elevator to the right floor and following the somewhat older woman through the corridors into the correct section, they eventually enter an area that does not appear particularly artificial. It also is an entirely different scenery than what they had anticipated.  
Bery had kinda figured that an imperial park would look something like the landscapes of Dromund Kaas or possibly Ziost – either dark and gloomy or quite rough and jagged. Neither of these assumptions prove to be true, though.  
The vegetation here is much smoother and sparsely placed than the wild nature of the jungle. The planted trees are positioned in neat rows, the bushes are trimmed and the chosen patterns for the streams of water are almost artistic. There are even animals around, as they can see avian creatures in the air and some small fish floating within the water. The blue sky and the bright sun are obviously some type of holograms, but look real enough.

All three follows one of the paved roads through the complex, walking side by side. Lenorr appears to be mildly curious at most, while Bery has quite a bright smile on her lips.  
“Damn, now this is pretty nice. Your people built this?”

Acina is trying to hide it, but she is rather pleased with their reactions.  
“Indeed. We hired a private imperial architect specifically to craft this type of area for us. I wanted only the best for my personnel.”

“Gotta say, it’s impressive. I mean, it’s maybe a little bit too neat, but I can live with that. Wouldn’t be a place for engineers and scientists if it wasn’t ‘over-the-top’. That said, it doesn’t look very…Sith-y.”  
She glances at the human on her side.  
“You didn’t make this happen just for us, did you? Might make a girl feel kinda special, in that case.”

The Councilor faces her, and while the eyes are looking rather playful, her tone is somewhat more serious.  
“And if I told that I did?”

“Uh…”

She breaks this notion shortly after with a brief laugh.  
“I’m merely jesting. I like you, Captain, but not enough to spend this much credits.”

Bery smirks and pokes her hand into Acina’s side.  
“Wow, saying I’m not worth it, huh? You just lost all points with me!”

Acina mirrors this expression, while she tries to deflect the twi’lek’s prodding. Lenorr watches them both with thoughtful eyes, but stays silent for now.  
“Perhaps I should get into the reason why I called you both here to begin with. You must be curious.”

“We certainly are”, Lenorr admits willingly. “We thought this was a secret facility.”

“Well, a known secret, I suppose. The people of this city are obviously aware that we have quarters belonging to our Sphere here, but not quite what we do.  
In any case, I have to confess that you have impressed me with all of your actions so far. When I actually invited you to start working with me, I never really imagined how…pleasant it would be, nor how eagerly you would complete your tasks. Naturally, I had done my research, so I had heard of your capabilities, but also how unruly you could be, Captain Shodem. Not to mention your criminal record in imperial databanks.”

As they wander close to a park bench, they stop for a moment and position themselves in a triangle, so that they can easily view each other. Bery and Lenorr are a little bit closer to one another, however.  
The Captain spreads her arms in a shrug, but also appears rather smug.  
“Well, hey, what can I say? I’m a _very_ bad girl. Some women really like that, though.”

Lenorr rolls her eyes at the insinuation, but Acina has a hard time to hide her delighted smile.  
“Luckily, Imperius vouched for you, which was really the only word I had to go on, and I listened. Now, it has shown to be one of the best decisions during my time in the Dark Council so far.  
Not only have you helped me with some critical assignments, which might have never been completed without you, but you have also taken me into some rather fascinating situations.”

“Heh. Don’t normally get a lot of excitement, huh?”

“Not much, no. Being the leader of Technology can be interesting, but rarely filled with action. You changed that.  
I very much enjoyed my time on the Hypertrail, for example. Despite being such a famous freighter, I had still not expected so many liberal modifications and fascinating design choices. I won’t deny that it has inspired me, and I would definitely want to create something on my spare time to test some new ideas I have. When I actually manage to receive such a moment, that is.  
If you are willing, Captain, I would be more than happy to apply any new creations I make onto the Hypertrail. I have some people I could assign to it.”

Bery actually appears mildly surprised at that offer.  
“Wait, really? Uh, are you sure? We’re not an imperial ship, though.”

“Of course I’m sure. Why not? You keep performing duties for us that few others can achieve, and for this reason, I feel that the improvement of the Hypertrail would be to our benefit as well.”

The gesture is a nice one, this can’t be denied, but Bery also senses an opportunity for some more mischief, which is why she takes a few steps closer.  
“Excuse me? Saying my baby isn’t good enough right now, huh?”

Obviously, Acina plays along. She doesn’t appear doubtful whether she said anything wrong, but does attempt a humbler approach.  
“Oh, she is absolutely splendid, Captain. I think she’s amazing, more so than most freighters I’ve ever witnessed. But there’s always an ideal, possibilities for perfection that can be attained, wouldn’t you agree? I can bring her a few stages closer to that state.”

Bery smirks and shakes her head.  
“Tsk. You always know what to say, don’t you?”

She receives another wink from Acina.  
“When it comes to ships, there’s no doubt about it. Perhaps that’s why you and I get along so famously.”

“Watch yourself. Don’t want me getting all too comfortable, do you?”

After this little interaction, Acina also turns to Lenorr, obviously not wanting to forget her.  
“I also have to admit how much I enjoyed discussing Ziost and my past with you, lady Evintok. I hadn’t expected to work closely with someone who has experienced similar things. Perhaps we did not conduct these activities in the same year, but it still managed to bring me very pleasant notions of familiarity. I do miss Ziost, from time to time.”

The words aren’t just generous, but also strangely…intriguing to Lenorr. Relatable, in a way. She often struggles with the same longing, no?  
“As have I. If you happen to need a companion to discuss these memories with in the future, I would be more than happy to offer myself.”

Acina displays a smile that could be classified as charming.  
“You are very kind to do so, my lady, and I will think of you whenever I get the urge.  
If I ever go back to Ziost, I would be most pleased if you could join me. It would give us a chance to reminisce together.”

Going home together with a Dark Councilor? That’s not something even Vowrawn has offered. Feels…intimate.  
She clears her throat.  
“I would be…honored, my lord.”

“This is not an invitation to join me as a subordinate, Lenorr. I’m asking as…a friend.”

“Ah. Well…that is a proposal I cannot turn down, Acina.”

Removing the rank seems to satisfy her, based on how her smile grows even warmer. Shortly after, she glances between both of them.  
“I also can’t ignore that our last major excursion affected me. Like I already explained, I rarely get opportunities such as these, much less to travel to regions which might actually be assaulted by our enemies. That’s not usually the role of the leader of this Sphere, despite Mekhis’ and Hadra’s actions in the past. I will remember this experience quite fondly.”

Not that Bery is against it, but that statement does confuse her somewhat, which is why she raises her eyebrow.  
“Uh, you almost died.”

“Exactly. Do you know how rarely that happens to me in my labs? Sure, I’ve had rivals and foolish opponents, but that is general Sith politics. This was…” she tries to search for the right word, moving her hands as if it’s within her grasp. She finally manages to capture it a few moments later. “…an adventure.”

That actually makes Bery laugh. She wanders up to the Councilor and pats her arm.  
“You know what? You can be kinda adorable sometimes.”

Acina narrows her eyes and folds her arms, but a small smirk still lingers on her lips.  
“My excitement amuses you, hmm? I simply expressed my enthusiasm.”

“And I don’t mind! I mean, stick with us and you’ll never run out of adventures, ‘my lord’.”

“Is that an invitation to become an honorary member of your crew, Captain?”

“You bet it is.”

Acina snorts briefly, but she can’t help looking rather delighted as well. She takes Bery’s hand once more, shaking it slightly.  
“Then I accept. Never been part of a singular ship's crew in that fashion, so denying myself the chance would be quite a mistake.”

“Welcome to the Hypertrail. Remember that my rules apply on board, no one else’s.”

The twi’lek winks at her, which makes Acina giggle.  
“Of course, Captain. I would never attempt to overrule you within your own vessel.”  
Soon after, she directs her gaze towards the pureblood again.  
“Oh, and don’t think I have forgotten what you did, Lenorr.”

The other Sith blinks confusedly. The tone is half-accusatory and half-playful, which means Lenorr desperately attempts to search her mind for possible mistakes.  
“What…I did?”

Acina takes a few slow steps towards her, with Bery walking by her side.  
“Indeed. Do you know how rare it is for anyone to offer themselves up as my champion? It has to be the most…chivalrous thing another Sith has ever done for me.”

Oh, that choice. She had almost forgotten about it until just now. Once more, she clears her throat and raises a hand to pinch at her own nose. She actually seems a little embarrassed.  
“Well, I…I just felt it was appropriate at the time. You are, erm…a Dark Councilor, and I am not.”

Acina crosses her arms, another smirk crawling up on her lips.  
“So, you’re saying you would have done the same for any Dark Councilor, then?”

“…no, perhaps not.”

“I’m a special case?”

“Except for Bery, yes.”

The Captain has her hands at her hips at this time, and she grins towards Lenorr.  
“You know, that’s one of the things I regret from that mission – not having seen it for myself. Gotta say, it’s kinda hot that you’d do that, babe. Wish someone had taken a holo.”

Lenorr shuts her eyes and sighs.  
“…do you have to group up and tease me about it?”

Bery chuckles, but Acina merely smiles, using one of her hands to gently caress Lenorr’s arm.  
“Not teasing at all, my dear. I’m saying you honored me, more than anyone else ever has.”  
She glances towards the Captain, and places her other hand on Bery’s shoulder.  
“For this reason, and for all you have both offered me so far, I would like to return the favor.  
Have you ever visited the restaurant on the Adorra Spacedock? It’s an orbital station over Dromund Kaas.”

Bery looks mildly confused at the request.  
“Uh…no? Don’t think I’ve even heard of it. There’s a bunch of stations over that world, right?”

Naturally, Lenorr inclines her head rather confidently.  
“I have heard the name. Haven’t been there myself, but the restaurant you mentioned is rather famous, I believe?”

“Indeed”, Acina admits. “For the most part, it is famous for its exclusivity, perhaps one of the most difficult places to obtain reservations for, in the entire Empire.  
This fact has two reasons – its path and what people they receive as guests. The rotation cycle that it is programmed onto gives a very scenic view of our capital world and its surrounding space. On top of this, their only guests are important Sith, privileged imperial families, highly successful businesspeople and diplomats, plus guests of note. Personally, I have only been there once, when Darth Hadra invited me.  
As you might imagine, being a Dark Councilor means that I am one of the few who are able to ask for a table almost whenever I want. I would be more than happy to invite both of you to join me there, whenever our schedules align.”

The current mood of their discussion had been leading them into a rather interesting territory, but Bery still seems both surprised and amused by the offer.  
“Really? You wanna take us to some fancy restaurant to eat?”

“Was that not what I said?”

“Yeah, but, like…not sure I’d fit in.”

Acina appears to be most delighted by those words.  
“All the better.  
I don’t care if they say you don’t fit in, nor if someone starts to complain. I want the opportunity to treat two women who have performed so much for me. What better way than to take them somewhere exclusive?”

Lenorr raises one of her hands to touch the sharp spur close to her jaw.  
“Well, I…don’t know.”

It appears Bery is somewhat hesitant too, based on the movements of her lekku.  
“Hmm, does sound kinda exciting, sure, but don’t they have some kind of dress code or whatever?”

“Oh, definitely, but this can easily be dealt with. If you don’t have anything appropriate of your own, speak to me, and I will see to it that we can arrange what you ask for.”

Bery is starting to reach the kind of state where she isn’t sure whether she should laugh or be bewildered.  
“Hah, and now you’re telling us that you wanna buy clothes for us too?”

“Naturally. There are few occasions where I can use my position for such endeavors. This is exciting for me as well.”

Neither of them can forget that Acina has been very good to them so far, both by giving them interesting missions to finish and good rewards afterwards. That said, they hadn’t expected that the Councilor would seize the emotions which had been swirling around the trio, and actually act upon them.  
Bery closes the distance to the human even further, looking into her eyes quite intently.  
“Didn’t I tell you to watch out? There are few things I like more than people spoiling me, you know. I might latch on.”

The gaze she receives in return appears to be most satisfied with both the closeness and the wording.  
“I would only watch myself if that wasn’t my intention.”

“You are…full of surprises, Councilor.”

While the two of them are doing…whatever they’re doing, Lenorr is caught in between pondering the implications and her own doubts.  
“Are you certain this won’t get you into trouble, though, my lord? We don’t want to be the cause of any harmful repercussions.”

Acina snorts humorously.  
“Don’t worry, any issues created because of you are ones that I will deal with. It is my choice to associate with either of you, after all.”

Lenorr sighs and glances at Bery.  
“Well, I…guess we don’t necessarily oppose it?”

“Definitely not”, Bery tells her. “It’s a date, Councilor.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _I mean, Acina has basically flirted with both of them since day one. Initially, it was just due to the benefit, to give them the impression that she's a relaxed Sith. After that, it became more fun to her, especially when one or both of them began to flirt back._


	15. Treaded paths of shade

The exercising module inside the Hypertrail. Bery sometimes wonders if it was really necessary to install it. She obviously knows that it has been put to good use, especially by Akaavi and Lenorr, but could they not have done the same thing in their cabins?  
Maybe the Captain just thinks this way because she doesn’t visit it a whole lot on her own. Sure, she does use it from time to time, to work on her fitness, but her girlfriend is far more adamant about it. And Bery wouldn’t specifically say she minds this choice either. Lenorr can be very…intriguing to watch whenever she has a particularly intense session. The sweat, the groans, the bending muscles…

As she walks through the ship’s corridors, Bery has to shake her head to discard the straying thoughts. She already feels herself getting aroused just by considering it. Lenorr is a far too tempting woman.  
Unfortunately, when she eventually steps into the training facility, her daydreaming becomes reality. It appears that Lenorr is currently busy with a fast-paced activity.

In her hands, Bery can see how the Sith holds her lightsaber, spinning it around, as a small floating droid circles her. It is attempting to fire electric bolts at her, which she utilizes her weapon to deflect. When the Captain studies the projectiles further, she’s pretty sure that they’re not holographic either. Did Lenorr program it to shoot stun rounds again? Bery has told her not to do this, that it might get dangerous if she’s alone. It appears Lenorr either doesn’t care about the risks or thinks that they’re worth it.

Letting her eyes travel further down, she sees how Lenorr is in a tight sleeveless shirt, shorts, fingerless gloves and doesn’t wear any shoes. From the sweat stains, Bery assumes that the Sith has been engaged in other exhausting activities previously, unless this specific type of training has been very intense.  
It’s also hard to ignore how skillful Lenorr is, as usual. She’s fast and predictive, able to get her lightsaber in position almost every time, just when it seems like the droid is about to get her. If the Captain were to make a guess, she’d assume that her girlfriend is currently focusing on enhancing her reflexes. Has to be, due to how often she lets herself be flanked and because the droid constantly switches position.

Bery is amused that Lenorr may not have noticed her, or at least she has given no indications for it. It’s very possible that she simply ignores the twi’lek for now. At least it’s impressive how unfazed she is by distracting elements in her surroundings.  
Seeing no reason not to, Bery takes the opportunity to watch. She observes the leg movement, the shifting directions of the arms, how the muscles strain with each motion, the hair flipping back and forth, and the increasingly glistening skin. All of it makes for an enticing sight, even now. Bery doesn’t think she has had a girlfriend for this long before and yet she hasn’t found herself tired of the Sith. That has to be marriage material to some degree, right?

And yet, is there also not another person who has been gradually entering an intimate level of their lives? A different type of individual, sure, but one who is still able to invade their thoughts, gaining attention that they had not considered previously. Should they ignore the potential in this interaction and let it pass them by, or should they revel in it? That is a bit of a dilemma.  
Hold on, is that maybe why Lenorr asked her to come here earlier?

She is eventually brought out of her deep thoughts by a beeping noise from the droid, likely an indication that the session is done. Lenorr takes this opportunity to slow down and relax, standing still and breathing out rather heavily. Must have been intense and that actually makes Bery smirk.  
“I love it when you pant, babe. It’s right up there as one of my favorite sounds, possibly after those grunts you make when I bite you.”

Lenorr rolls her eyes, but as they are alone, she does not deflect the flirting or get as embarrassed as she might in public.  
“You’re the one who always get tired in bed, not me.”

“Excuse me?! Are you implying that I don’t have the stamina to keep up with you?!”

“I’m not _implying_ anything, I’m explicitly stating it. You simply don’t and that’s a fact.”

Her expression transforms into a pout instead and she marches right up the Sith.  
“Alright, that’s it! Bend over that bench right now, because we’re doing it! Not gonna be insulted in my own ship. Gonna show you exactly how much stamina I have.”

It seems it’s Lenorr’s turn to be smug now and she shuts off her weapon, utilizing the Force to place it onto a table. When Bery reaches her location, the Sith wraps her arms around the smaller woman, easily lifting her up and holds onto her. At this height, they are virtually at the same level.  
“I just had an hour-long workout session. Don’t think we’re in a fair situation to compare such things.”

Bery snorts.  
“So, you can’t do it.”

“That’s not what I said.”

The Captain slips her arms around Lenorr’s shoulders, leaving them behind her neck and stares challengingly into the orange eyes.  
“You’re a wimp.”

As expected, Lenorr faces this claim with the type of expression that says she will not back down.  
“A foolish thing to say, and you know that. You know I will make you regret it later.”

“Hah! Regret? Don’t even know the meaning of the word.”

Lenorr shakes her head, realizing that she won’t escalate this any further. When she was a Sith Lord, she would never have accepted insolence and yet now it’s an everyday part of her life, something that she loves about her girlfriend.  
Shortly after, she carries Bery over to a bench nearby, setting the twi’lek down on top of it. She separates the Captain’s legs, so that she can stand in between them and pushes herself close. Their lips lock in a fierce display of passion, with Lenorr slipping her hands in under Bery’s shirt to caress her back, and the Captain herself running hers through the black hair. They kiss and grind against each other, trying to hold their partner as close as possible. Even if they know this is far as they’ll go at this time, they’re still in the mood for affection. Honestly, when it comes to Bery, is she ever not in the mood?

In a way, it’s curious. Lenorr doesn’t really share the type of Force bond with Bery that she has heard of from other people. The Captain is not Force sensitive, so logically, that shouldn’t even be possible, but there’s no denying that…something exists. It is a noticeable sensation, an unavoidable connection that brings them together. Lenorr can usually identify when life energy enters her vicinity, but she has been able to distinguish Bery specifically. Back on the world where they fought the mandalorians, she was also sure that she could somehow feel the Captain’s agony to a small extent. Doesn’t that prove a definitive link?

Once their lips part, Lenorr leaves her forehead on Bery’s, gently nudging her nose against her girlfriend’s, in fairly soothing motions.  
Bery smirks and lets it happen.  
“Was it your plan to get sweat all over my clothes?”

“You’re the one who started it.”

“Yeah, but I’m not the one who called myself into this room.”

Lenorr snorts.  
“I did not call you here and tell you to leer at me.”

“You knew that was a risk.”

With a sigh, the Sith tilts her head backwards, but still remains close and intimate. She just wants to be able to see Bery’s face.  
“Fair enough. I actually wanted to talk about something, though, which I’m sure has been on your mind quite a lot as well, as of late.”

Bery angles her head slightly sideways and Lenorr feels how one of the lekkus touches her arm.  
“You’re talking about Acina, right?”

Lenorr’s lips curl slightly.  
“And now you know what I’m thinking as well, do you?”

“Well, you already said it and you’re right. She’s hard to forget.”

After all the exercising, Lenorr is getting too tired to stand and therefore takes the opportunity to slip down on the bench next to Bery. Instead of remaining in this position, though, the Captain wants to maintain their intimate connection, which is why she shifts her location and straddles her girlfriend. The arms are left around Lenorr’s shoulders.  
Luckily, the Sith has nothing to complain about. She slowly slides her hands down along Bery’s sides, touching the ample thighs and behind. Despite this gesture, her expression remains ambiguous.

“I’m not sure where to start”, Lenorr admits. “I haven’t been entirely certain how I feel about her, what emotions she evokes when I think of her. Our interaction has been…strange.”

Bery arches an eyebrow.  
“Not sure that’s what I’d call it, but I guess I see what you mean. Definitely unexpected.”

Lenorr nods slowly.  
“Do you remember what I told you last time? It’s progressing faster than I expected, but it cannot be denied that there is some affection present. Our paths are becoming interwoven with hers.”

“And this worries you?”

“Somewhat. It will likely mean that there are some difficult scenarios waiting for us in the future.”

Bery seems to ponder it, her lekkus shifting around behind her, before she shrugs.  
“Well, so far, I don’t really mind. I know what you were afraid of, but remember how uh…hostile you were? She has shown none of that. I can’t prove that she hasn’t been plotting it, but I get the sense that it’s not the type of thing she’d do.  
Besides, you gotta agree that she’s a charming woman, right? Interesting too. How many Dark Councilors do we know that willingly hangs out with scum like us, even on her free time?”

“I wouldn’t classify myself as ‘scum’, but-“

“And how many Sith do you know that actually loves talking about engines or ship design? What kind of Sith would willingly send gifts to people like us without demanding something in return?”

Lenorr sighs, giving in before she even has built up a proper defense. What’s the point of struggling against it anyway? There is something appealing to this development.  
“I suppose I can’t blame you for feeling this way. In fact, hasn’t Acina sort of been…flirting with us both? And this has happened both separately and when we’re together. I don’t think I’ve ever experienced this before.”

Bery smiles, a glint of interest in her eyes.  
“No? Never been with more than one partner simultaneously?”

The Sith shakes her head briefly.  
“Definitely not. Have you?”

“Hah, yeah, a bunch of times. I mean, none of them lasted for very long, but I’ve definitely done it. Can be fun, if you’re with good people.”

“None of the other women were against it?”

“’course not. Why would they? You just gotta make sure that it’s consensual first, that everyone knows what’s going on.”  
Lenorr lowers her gaze, letting them drift off and become distant. It triggers a reaction from Bery, who switches position with one hand, to instead caress the Sith’s cheek, even touching one of the spurs by her jaw.  
“So, you wanna tell me how you feel about it, beautiful? Would you be against it if Acina said she wants to be with us?”

Lenorr is clearly tentative, probably trapped in the uncertainty of inexperience.  
“Mm, I…I don’t know.”

The touch grows even gentler and Bery decides to speak in a quieter and softer tone.  
“You know I won’t mind whatever you say, right? Told ya, consent is important here, and while I like her, she’s the one currently on the outside. You are still the person that matters to me the most.”

The affection is not just spoken, but felt in the air, through the Force. It convinces Lenorr to share a look with her girlfriend once more, tilting her head forward to nudge her nose into Bery’s cheek.  
“Thank you.”

“I wouldn’t ever wanna hurt you, Lenorr. You and me, we’re a team. I’d fight the galaxy for you.”

“I know.” She takes a deep breath and begins to ponder the same thought. “Well, on the one hand, it would be intriguing to experience this, to give it a chance. If you have done so in the past, and enjoyed it, then…I would be willing to try. The only problem is the choice of partner.”

“You don’t like her?”

“You know I do. She is charismatic, intelligent, fascinating and beautiful, but…she’s also a member of the Dark Council. I’m not sure how wise it is to let this happen.”

Not the first time Lenorr expresses concern from this angle, but it’s hard to say what the reason is, the _real_ reason.  
“Well, don’t wanna be presumptuous or anything, but I feel like that’s not the whole worry you have, is it? It’s because she’s Sith, right? Her position is kinda irrelevant.”

Lenorr looks even more intently into Bery’s brown eyes, seeing how the twi’lek doesn’t flinch and seems very confident in her position. How can someone know her so well, without ever being able to read her emotions through the Force?  
“…alright, fine. I confess that it is a concern.  
As you should already know, Sith are notoriously passionate, especially when we’re involved in romantic relationships. This is more intense with my species, but it can reach a comparable level with others too. Between purebloods, such arrangements can work for a lifetime due to our biological similarities. This can be replicated by others who also have control of the Force, but it is much more uncommon with those blind to the cosmic power. A lot of relationships between those of my people and other species often fall apart, as the other partner can’t quite keep up, due to the intensity of the connection. This can affect someone both physically and mentally.”

Bery nods slowly, trying to consider what they’ve gone through up until now.  
“Sure, I get that. I mean, I really do, after all I’ve experienced at your side. But, like, we’ve lasted for quite a while together now, right?”

“We have, and I very much enjoy our interactions, because I care for you, immensely. But, to have two Sith at once? This might get…problematic.”

Not an entirely unreasonable notion, but it still makes Bery smirk.  
“Oh? Hold on, am I sensing some potential rivalry here.”

Of course that’s what she’d assume. This is Bery, after all. Lenorr sighs and rolls her eyes.  
“Was that, in any way, part of what I stated? I didn’t mention that word even once.”

“Not mentioning it doesn’t mean it’s not true, dummy. Are you denying it then?”

Lenorr refuses to give her a proper response.  
“Moving on. Despite the fact that you dismissed it, I don’t think her rank is irrelevant. I know that senators in the Republic are chosen for their political prowess, hutts survive on their business acumen and guile, gang leaders arise based on intimidating tactics or how aggressive they are, but for Sith, the leadership factor is all about powerbases. You have to include both the level of the Force and how many resources – whether soldiers, technology or other equipment – stand behind you. Acina’s control of the Force is still impressive, for this very reason. Do we really want someone like that in our lives?”

“Because she’s a leader, she can’t love someone?”

She exhales again.  
“Now who’s the dummy? Of course she can, but there are all sorts of outcomes that we have to factor into this equation. It includes everything from rivalries with other Sith that can clearly put us in danger, to what Acina herself is willing to do in order to stay in power. Many Sith have been ready to sacrifice some of their closest, simply to remain at the top.”

Quite serious issues, but once more, Bery doesn’t seem all that bothered. She shrugs again.  
“I know you believe this is like, really important to consider, but I don’t think it’s that bad. Has Acina seemed overly manipulative or hostile? I wouldn’t say so.”

Lenorr looks at Bery with a sincerely skeptical gaze.  
“…darling, you can’t judge concepts like that at face value. No good manipulator ever _seems_ manipulative. That’s why they’re so effective.”

“Fair enough, but you’re Sith too. You can, like…feel her emotions or whatever, can’t you? Ever gotten any warning signs when we’ve been around her?”

“No, but there’s no certainty that I’d ever receive any either. Talented Sith can hide their feelings quite well, even through the Force.”

“So, basically, you can’t say that she has been suspicious in any way so far.”

It sounds like Bery is getting stuck on specific words and isn’t being cautious enough. And, to be fair, perhaps she has a point.  
“Yes, fine, I do believe she has been good to us thus far. I do…enjoy her company. I simply wish to be careful, that’s all.”

Bery smiles and once more slips a hand through Lenorr’s hair. It is quite sweaty at this time, so the Captain does her best to disentangle it.  
“I know, and I don’t mind, but I also think we should be fair to her. She deserves the chance to prove to us what it is she wants out of our partnership.  
I mean, I know you’re worried that we’ll get stuck with her rivals wanting to kill us, but I’m already involved in power play anyway, right? Feels like that started almost two years ago now, with the Voidwolf.”

Lenorr snorts amusedly.  
“You don’t know the definition of the words ‘power play’ until you’ve spent enough time among the Sith, dear.”

Shortly after, the Captain’s expression grows even further, and she places a hand on Lenorr’s chest, trying to push her down onto the bench. The pureblood is strong enough to resist, should she want to, but she lets it happen. Bery pushes her body down on top of her girlfriend’s and nuzzles against one of her cheeks.  
“Mm, show me then, hot stuff”, she says in a fairly sensual voice.

Lenorr’s hands remain around Bery’s thighs, but she feels how this conversation went in a direction she hadn’t intended.  
“…not the type of play I was refer-“

“Shut up and fuck me, you idiot.”

Shortly after, she makes sure that the Sith can’t protest, with a demanding kiss. Lenorr obliges.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _No matter how much Acina becomes involved with them, I think that Lenorr/Bery will still have a closer connection to each other. However, that doesn't really stop them from extending their affection to others._   
>  _I said this elsewhere, but even if I don't think I've shown it in the stories, Bery has always been both gay and polyamorous. Just like Jovana coincidentally_


	16. Tangled trio

Risha has really spent a lot of much time in hutt space during her life, more so than is probably healthy. She won’t deny that being here can be rather fun, depending on the circumstances and what you’re willing to do, but it’s also problematic. The hutts' sense of morality can skew your own and change what you accept as the norm, the reality of the galaxy. She can't ignore that this has likely happened to her as well, but not by much. She was the daughter of one of the most notorious criminals in the galaxy, after all, so her standard is probably somewhat different.

Now that she finds herself on a darkened street in a world somewhere close to the border of hutt space once more, she realizes that it has been a while since she was last here, though. This planet is not as polluted as many of their ‘core’ worlds, but it is still very urbanized and there are clear levels of rank and class. This place probably has a lot of criminals on it too, as hutts attract those kinds of people. It’s how they thrive. Risha enjoys their company, but realizes that she can’t live like that forever. She can’t maintain the mindset of a gangster if she wishes to take her throne. She wants to be a good Queen, a kind one. Or at least one that doesn’t punish her people for whatever mistake she commits.

What distracts her from these thoughts aren’t the people on the streets nor the sound in the distance, from every direction, but the fierce wind that blows past them all, making her feel cold. She shivers and pulls her warm garnet-red coat closer. Why did they choose to meet outside? Couldn’t they have done this sort of thing within a building? She knows the risks, but…  
Trying to be as subtle as possible, she tilts her head somewhat and attempts to speak into the microphone attached to her body, still being obscured.

“Anything?”, she asks.

In her ear piece, she hears the familiar voice of her girlfriend.  
“Not yet.”

Disappointing, but not surprising. Feels like they may have to stay out here forever, at this rate.  
“Wish she would hurry up, so we can get going.”

“Heh. Getting a little cold?”, her partner asks somewhat playfully.

Risha rolls her eyes and lets the collar of the coat cover her mouth, as she makes sure that she hasn’t attracted attention.  
”It’s not exactly beach weather here.”

“You’re the one who insisted that we choose this world.”

A fair point, but Risha doesn’t enjoy taking all the blame.  
“Yes, but…I had hoped for a little bit of sun, you know? Or at least automated heating systems.”

“Too bad the hutts are too cheap for that, right?  
Want me to come over and keep you warm?”

The thought of having Sumalee’s arms around her at this point and leaning into the Jedi’s chest is incredibly tempting, which is why she instinctively shuts her eyes to imagine it.  
“We’ll get distracted.”

Sumalee snorts.  
“You mean _you_ will.”  
Risha doesn’t respond. Doesn’t feel like telling the Jedi that she’s correct. After a few moments of considering their situation, Sumalee speaks again, this time with a more solemn tone.  
“You think she’s watching us already?”

Not that anything was indicated in the question, but Risha still looks up at the roofs for some reason, almost expecting to see their companion sitting somewhere up there with a mischievous smile on her lips. No such luck today.  
“Who knows? She has always been very sneaky.”

Almost as if on cue, everything changes. Suddenly, Risha feels how an item is pushed up against her lower back and another very familiar voice speaks into her ear. Unsurprisingly, it’s quite smug.  
“She has indeed. It’s her specialty, after all.”

She should’ve expected this, shouldn’t she? Obviously, this one would wait until the most opportune time to make an entrance.  
Risha exhales briefly and then slightly glances over her shoulder, locking her eyes with a blue pair on a yellow-skinned individual. This mirialan is wearing a pine green jacket, white pants and a brown knitted cap to warm her head and ears.

“And annoying”, Risha whispers to her.

The expression on the other woman grows into a smirk.  
“And yet you never get enough of my company.”

“I think that’s an overstatement.”  
She’s not in any position to turn around at this time, due to what she can feel on her back. She can make assumptions on what exactly touches her, though.  
“Is that a pistol?”

“You’re the underworld expert. Can’t you tell?”

“That’s not fair, Shariss. I was and am a mechanic, not a spy. Besides, I prefer rifles.”

“Tsk. When have we ever played fair, huh?”

Whatever the agent had planned during this little encounter, however, it all ends with a gasp as she feels how she’s being lifted up into the air. An invisible power has grabbed ahold of her and it’s almost like she floats into the sky. The togruta, who’s responsible for it, stands a few meters behind and smirks. A fur-lined black jacket and navy-blue pants adorn her body. One hand is on her hip, the other is clearly being used to direct the Force around her friend.  
“You know those rules apply to you too, right?”

Shariss quickly moves her eyes in the direction of the Jedi and pouts.  
“Lee! I know I cheat, but the Force is on another level! It’s worse!”

“So is a gun.”

Shariss sighs and then uses her hand to wave around what she is actually holding – a packet of cards.  
“You really think I’d put a gun to my friend, you dummy? I was just messing around!”

Sumalee chuckles and slowly lowers her companion to the ground.  
“Not at all. I was just testing you. Making sure our friendly allies in the shadows don’t threaten civilians.”

Once she’s back on stable soil, the SIS agent dusts off her clothes and corrects them, wanting to still look decent after having been tossed around.  
“You are way too stealthy for a Jedi.”

“Learned from the best.”

Shortly after, Shariss’ smirk returns, and she lifts a hand to gently caress Risha’s ear, mostly to indicate what hides within.  
“And what’s this, huh? Pretty sure that’s not gear civilians walk around with.”

Risha gently grabs the hand, pulls it down and holds onto it.  
“We just wanted to watch our surroundings and make sure none of us were being followed.”

Shariss snorts.  
“Don’t worry, I’ve already checked the perimeter for you – it’s clear. Both of you were pretty obvious to anyone who knows what to look for, by the way.”

“To you, maybe, but not everyone.”  
After they’re done playing, Risha doesn’t hesitate. She wraps both her arms around Shariss and pulls her close. The agent’s expression shifts into a smile instead and she slowly moves her hand to run it through Risha’s hair as she returns the embrace.  
“It’s good to see you safe and sound, Shariss.”

“Hah. Isn’t that what I should be saying, miss criminal?”

“Haven’t you heard? I work in an office now. I attend meetings, give instructions to employees and coordinate our work. Pretty sure you’re still a field agent, though.”

It’s Shariss’ turn to roll her eyes now, but she doesn’t necessarily push her friend away.  
“Yeah, yeah.”

Before either of them can end this gesture, Sumalee joins them, hugging them both rather tightly. Soon after, she also puts a gentle kiss on Shariss’ cheek.  
“We’ve missed you.”

“Of course you have. I’m the fun one, right?”, she suggests playfully.

“More like the troublesome one.”

“Exactly! I create excitement that you two can’t get enough of.”

“Hmm. Debatable.”

Once they finally part a little, Risha nudges her head in the direction of the nearby street.  
“Come, lets get out of this cold. Getting sick of it. There’s a cantina nearby that we can sit down and get ourselves a drink.”

Shariss arches an eyebrow in an amused fashion towards her.  
“How am I not surprised that you’ve found a sleazy place for us to gather already?”

In response, Risha pokes her friend’s side, hoping to tickle her, but the agent evades.  
“Hey, that establishment isn’t sleazy. It’s one of the finer cantinas in this town.”

“By your standards.”

“Which should be all you need. Mine has always been far above yours, and even more so nowadays. I’m doubtful you even know the meaning of the word ‘elegance’.”

“Alright, fine. You win."

Seeing no need to argue any further, Shariss locks arms with both of them, to leave herself in the middle, and they walk together towards the section that Risha had in mind.  
Once they enter, it appears she was mostly correct. The room they step into is clean and fairly crisp, with many decorative pictures and holographic projectors along the walls, as well as screens that display various holovids or transmissions from some events in other locations. There is music playing somewhere in the background, but at a reasonable level. The clientele is diverse, from several different species, but it’s not overcrowded.  
They start their visit by ordering some drinks. Sumalee attempts to decline the offer, but the other two won’t let her, saying that she’s not getting out of it. She’s here to relax too.

Eventually, all three ends up by a table in a booth with sofa surrounding it, close to a quiet corner. Risha takes one side, Shariss grabs another and Sumalee joins the agent. It is not indicated in any way, but this is a deliberate choice. They don’t want to make their situation all too obvious just yet.  
After the trio puts down their drinks on the table, Risha has a sip of her whiskey and then focuses on Shariss.  
“So, what have you been up to lately? You don’t call very often, so I feel like I’m out of the loop.”

The agent tastes some of her beer and looks into her glass as she swallows.  
“You know my missions are classified, Dray.”

“Even for your favorite associates?”

Shariss looks skeptically into her friend’s eyes.  
“Especially for you guys.”

“So, what, we’re just supposed to sit here and worry? What if something happens to you?”

“If that’s what you prefer”, Shariss says with an added shrug. “Sorry, but I can’t let civilians know the details of-“

She’s interrupted when Risha leans over the table and places a hand on top of her arm.  
“You know we’re not simple civilians, Shariss. Bery and I helped you out of one mess a while ago, so it’s not like we don’t know what we’re doing.”

It seems like Shariss isn’t about to abate and reveal anything, but since both the human and the togruta are throwing her very adamant gazes, she gives in. At least a little bit.  
“Fine, fine. But no details.  
I’ve had to focus a lot on the two Empires as of late, as you can probably imagine. We’re at war and this is where they need me for the most part.”  
She watches her glass for a bit, gradually spinning it around in her hand as she ponders her response.  
“And…well, gotta admit that I’m not enjoying it very much.”

“Why not?”, Sumalee asks.

Shariss emits a slow sigh before she continues.  
“The spy games have always been tough, I knew that before I got into this business. Now it’s even worse, though. We’re forced into warzones, areas where we might be bombarded or shot at any second. Everything is pushed to the limit, pretty much.”

Another one who clearly doesn’t enjoy this thought is Risha, evident through her scowl.  
“That’s crazy. Surely, they must realize that they can’t waste agents like that?”

“It’s not a waste, Dray. The intel we can bring back for the Republic is invaluable. Maybe I don’t enjoy being on the battlefield, but I understand their reasons.”

Risha lifts her hand to pinch her own nose, the frown staying put.  
“Yeah, I get that, but it’s not a satisfying thought.  
If you get into trouble and need a quick extraction, you should call me. I’ll find a safe place.”

Shariss raises her arms, likely to reject the offer.  
“Thanks, but I’m good. I signed up for this.”

“I know, but…I just don’t want you to get hurt.”

“That’s going to happen no matter what I do. It’s the nature of my job.”

“Not if you come work for us.”

This prompts Shariss to lean her head back and laugh briefly.  
“What, you think corporate spies are so much better off?”

“At least you wouldn’t have to crawl around in the dirt next to all the soldiers. I’d only give you the best missions.”

She receives a shrug in return.  
“Ah, it’s not as bad as it sounds. Besides”, she says and gently nudges her elbow into Sumalee’s side, “not all of ‘em are troopers. Get to hang out with Jedi like this fine lady every now and then.”

Well, that is naturally a privilege which Risha wouldn’t decline, but she can’t admit that out loud. She wants to make sure that Shariss understands how critical it might get.  
Thankfully, Sumalee seems to share this view.  
“I’m with Risha, actually”, she confesses.

Shariss watches the Jedi skeptically.  
“What?”

“I know you want to be daring and use all your skills to the max, which I understand, but you should consider the alternative. It’s just a thought.”

The agent views her friend as if she isn’t sure that she’s speaking to the same person.  
“Hold on. You’re on her side rather than the Republic’s?”

“You know I’m not. I’m on our side”, she states and spins a finger around to indicate all three.

“Uh, I thought our side _was_ the Republic’s side. That’s what we all work for, right? Or well, partially, in Risha’s case, I guess.”

“In a way, but I believe the safety of us three is more important than the agenda of a larger organization. I wanna protect both of you. We may live different lives now, but that doesn’t mean we can’t look out for each other. That’s why I think this is a good alternative for you.”

Shariss remains somewhat quiet after this, and they can both see how a small piece of suspicion enters her eyes. She glances between them, as if trying to find the truth.  
“Wait a second. Are you two sleeping together again?”

Almost immediately, Risha starts smirking, while Sumalee blinks. For those who recognizes the movements of togruta lekkus, it’s possible to observe some shy twitches in that direction.  
“W-what? …how did you…?”

Risha shrugs.  
“I told you that she would.”

Shariss resumes her smug expression, and she pokes her fingers into Sumalee’s side in a playful manner.  
“I’m with the SIS”, she points out quietly, “I’m supposed to know these things, Lee.  
Besides, you two never agree on anything this fiercely. Figured something was up."

The Jedi exhales heavily.  
“…I hate dealing with spies.”

Their friend giggles somewhat and she grabs another sip of her drink.  
“Have to say I’m surprised, though. I know you two fooled around way back when, but I always figured it was done with after one of you decided you couldn’t do it anymore.”

Sumalee smiles and folds her arms.  
“Yeah, so did I. But eventually, Risha finally realized I’m irresistible. Wanted me back as soon as possible.”

Risha narrows her eyes somewhat and pokes a foot into her girlfriend’s leg under the table.  
“She sounds so confident right now, but you know what the funny part is? She’s the one who’s been fighting our relationship after my I regained my interest.”

It’s very amusing to both of the other women how Sumalee clears her throat and fidgets little as she diverts her eyes.  
“I…didn’t fight it. Just wanted to be cautious.

“Uh-huh. Is that what you call hiding us from the Jedi?”

It doesn’t take long until Sumalee meets her beloved’s gaze and they study each other for a while, before the Jedi eventually gives up.  
“…look, I don’t want to argue about this, okay? You should already know what happens if we’re seen together by my Order.”

“Maybe, but that doesn’t mean I like it.”

Instead of getting into actual bickering, they stop as they hear Shariss laughing again.  
“You know what hasn’t changed?”, the agent asks them. “I thought you two were cute back then and I still think you are. That said, if the Jedi are in your way, why not just leave ‘em?”

“Exactly”, Risha quickly agrees.

Just like the two others have already done at some point, Sumalee rolls her eyes.  
“It’s not that simple. I don’t want to stop being a Jedi just because of my relationship. I still believe in this Order.”

“Then tell them that”, Shariss insists. “If you feel this strongly about it, they should know.”

Sumalee untangles her arms and puts a hand around her drink, holding it and considers taking a swig, but instead lingers with it in her hand.  
“That’s-…I dunno. I just think that would cause more problems for us.”

Shariss shrugs.  
“Sounds to me like you’re causing a lot of trouble for yourself instead.”

“You’ve never been into romance. You don’t get it.”

“Hey, just because I don’t feel the same way you do, that doesn’t mean I don’t understand. I care about my friends – including you – and I would do a lot for all of them. I know this is difficult for you, but sometimes you gotta make the tough calls.”

As her own argument wasn’t completely fair anyway, Sumalee doesn’t have a good answer. Instead, she lifts the glass and takes a few swigs of her orange-colored drink. Afterwards, she lowers it and wipes her mouth.  
“I…just need time. I want to think of a reasonable argument for when I confront the others, so they won’t judge me. It might get worse if I don’t.”

When she faces Risha, she thankfully does not meet any opposition this time. Despite how much the human wishes for their relationship to be visible no matter where they go, she realizes the importance of this choice. She reaches out and gently envelops Sumalee’s hand.  
“I know and I’m not going to oppose you. I’m here, if you need anything.”

It’s not all too surprising when Shariss also wraps her own arm around the Jedi’s shoulders, in a show of support.  
“And so am I. If there’s anything I can do for either of you, lemme know. I’ll do my best to help out.”

This makes Risha smile, who then offers her free hand towards Shariss. The agent returns the expression and places her own within Risha’s fingers, letting them caress each other.  
It’s been a while since they were able to sit like this, to feel the warmth and affection that flows in between them. The friendship and the love are intermingled, important aspects for them to have in their lives, which they might’ve forgotten. They’ve all missed it.

“Now that you mention it”, Risha starts, “I might actually need some aid. As it happens, we’re dealing with a difficult situation.”

“We?”, Shariss asks.

“Yes, the company that Bery and I own. We’re having a few issues, you see.”

The mirialan studies her carefully, and even if she did offer, she now appears skeptical.  
“Uh, are you saying you need my help with some corporate stuff?”

“Not exactly. It has more to do with criminal elements.  
I assume you know that our main office is on Port Zodric, out in neutral space. A lot of syndicates operate in that region and while we’ve dealt with them quite well up until recently, a particular one has chosen to target us. I’m not sure how far they’re ready to go, but some fear a potential war.”

Obviously, Shariss looks rather discouraged when she hears this. She’s already dealing with one major conflict, and doesn’t need even more.  
“Well, that’s not a great situation. I get why you’re worried. At the same time, though, it shouldn’t really be my business. My superiors would tell me it’s unwise.”

“I know that, but we’re friends, right? Unless something is done to fix this, we might be in real trouble. Can’t help the Republic if some of these bastards choose to attack us.”

“Well, why don’t you just get out of this mess then? Stop whatever is angering them and move on.”

Leaning back in her seat once more, Risha chooses to put her hands around her glass.  
“It doesn't work that way. First of all, we don’t want to leave Port Zodric, not when we’ve got such a good thing going. A lot of credits can be made on that station and we don’t want to run away when we’ve been so successful.  
Second of all, we don’t actually know what it is we’ve done. They keep pointing out issues and crimes that we’ve committed, but I can’t find any correlation. Nothing in our activities should tie us to these accusations and yet the syndicate keeps blaming us for it.”

Shariss tilts her head slightly, narrowing her eyes suspiciously.  
“You suspect foul play?”

“Possibly, or even worse – that there’s a third party involved, trying to frame us. I still haven’t been able to locate any clues myself, which is why I could use someone who knows this game a bit better to help me out.”

They wait, seeing how Shariss reacts and for several seconds, she lingers, not doing much to indicate either side. Eventually, she locks gazes with Risha.  
“I don’t believe that I should get involved in this. It would be stupid, it’d probably piss off my superiors and I might create problems for the SIS if I’m not careful.  
…but to hell with them. Like you said, you’re my friend, one of my oldest. I’ll do it for you.”

It’s a little uncharacteristic for her, but Risha displays a bright smile as she uses both her hands to envelop one belonging to the agent.  
“Thank you, Shariss. You’re the best.”

That previously rather self-satisfied expression returns again.  
“I am, and you should remember that in the future. You’ll owe me a favor.”

“Maybe, but I don’t have to. I’d do the same for you, anytime.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _Really wanted a Shariss chapter in this story, because I like these three. She doesn't use the nicknames Lee and Dray in-game, but she's not in it more than like two conversations, so I wanted to give her more personality._


	17. The thorns of shadows

While the crew of the Hypertrail tends to travel to all sorts of planets, Nal Hutta is usually one they try to avoid. Bery is often quite confident that they can find alternatives for whatever they need elsewhere – even Nar Shaddaa – and Lenorr is united with her in that opinion. In fact, she may even be more adamant that they don’t go to that world. She would prefer that they avoid this section of space altogether, but life is never that easy.

Lenorr has never been a fan of hutts. After all the messes they’ve been forced into within these sectors of the galaxy, this feeling just keeps growing stronger.  
It’s not just that a lot of people here are violent bastards, because those can be found in the Empire too. The problem here is the fact that there is a clear overabundance of highly untrustworthy, greedy and unpredictable individuals. There’s no real loyalty to anyone but yourself.

She also can’t deny that it is disturbing to her how some actually see Sith as fairly interesting prey in this place. A captured or dead Sith can be very useful, which in and of itself is pretty unnerving. Who willingly hunts her kind, with the immense power they can possess?  
This is certainly something she notices as she walks along some of the streets in a large city on the southern hemisphere, accompanying Bery. Not only is she Sith, but pureblood. They all know it, as they can see it. Most of these people probably encounter very few of her kind, as purebloods stick to imperial space. Not that their ignorance makes her feel any safer.

As they wander into a particular neighborhood which Bery guides them towards, they’re faced with all types of people, from many different species. Pretty much all of them are armed, obviously.  
Bery walks around them rather confidently, even waves at a few or finger guns at them in a playful manner. She is known in these parts too, of course. Despite this fact, Lenorr continues to be suspicious, not certain if she should be more afraid for Bery or herself.

“Are you sure it’s wise to be here with just the two of us?”, she asks the twi’lek quietly, once they get some space.

Bery rolls her eyes and smiles as she glances over her shoulder.  
“Really? You’re still nervous, babe? C’mon, you gotta calm down.”

Lenorr furrows her brow and diverts her eyes to the side, viewing some of the individuals nearby. They watch her with the same light hostility.  
“I can’t. Not when I’m here.”

The twi’lek smirks and lifts a hand, grabs Lenorr’s chin and directs her so that they can look at each other again. Pretty much no one would consider doing this sort of thing to a Sith, but Bery is also not just anyone.  
“Listen to me, beautiful – you look way too tense right now. It makes these people believe you’re up to something. Unless you wanna give them that impression, I suggest you relax, okay?”

Before Lenorr can respond, Bery momentarily drags her down and kisses her quite eagerly. The Sith enjoys it, but still doesn’t loosen up.  
“That’s easy for you to say. They know who I am, _what_ I am, no matter what I do. I can’t escape this.  
I swear, if these people try anything…”

“Then what? You’re gonna cut off their arms? Babe, it’s exactly this kind of attitude that’s gonna get you into the trouble you want to avoid. Just listen to me for once. Please?”

With a heavy sigh, Lenorr does as she’s told. It’s definitely not the first time, as Bery is one of those she actually feels comfortable to take orders from.  
As they move further into the district, they see that this part of the city is certainly cleaner than some of the others. Usually, it’s only the hutts that either care or can afford to keep things this relatively neat, for the sake of their guests. Then again, they are aware that this area is also owned by a subsidiary gang to the Cartel.

Everything goes smoothly until they approach a particular building, a pretty large complex with both offices and apartments. This is when some opposition appears, in the form of three people – a nikto, a cathar and a big houk. They’re all armed, and they get right in the path of the duo. The nikto has two blaster pistols on her belt, the cathar has a large vibrosword on his back, while the houk has a blaster shotgun, which he holds in his hand. It’s vaguely aimed in their direction, but still mostly pointed towards the ground.

“Hey, Sith”, the houk tells Lenorr, “where do you think you’re going?”

The duo halts a few meters away. With a brief glance around them, they realize that there are several more people in alleyways and rooftops watching this encounter. Better not do anything foolish. Sure, Lenorr can probably take a dozen of these people, but not an entire city block.  
She frowns at the houk. He is definitely bigger than her, but the Force isn’t stopped by size.  
“I’m with her”, she says and indicates Bery.

He ignores the Captain completely, still staring at Lenorr with his yellow eyes.  
“We don’t like your kind around here. If I were you, I’d get out now, before this gets nasty.”

Lenorr arches one of her eyebrow ridges skeptically.  
“What, travelers?”

The houk grips his gun a bit harder.  
“You think we don’t know what Sith do whenever they come to one of our planets? The Empire has no business here.”

She really shouldn’t start a conflict…but she just can’t help responding to hostility with a similar notion.  
“I’m pretty sure that this isn’t your planet, but that it belongs to the hutts. And you’re no hutt.  
Secondly, I’m not with the Empire.”

“Banthashit.”  
After staring at this man for a few seconds, Lenorr slowly moves her hand towards her lightsaber, but this triggers an immediate reaction. Not only do the cathar and nikto instantly draw their weapons, but at least a dozen other ones are aimed at her from different directions.  
“Not a very wise move, red.”

Bery takes a step back, widens her eyes and raises her hands defensively.  
“Whoa! Come on, fellas, take it easy! We don’t want any trouble.”

“Then you shouldn’t have come into our territory. Most of all, you shouldn’t have brought one of these Force nuts with you.”

Lenorr frowns at him, before she quickly darts her eyes around, trying to see just how many people are nearby. She can sense not just their tension and anger, but their fear. It’s fiercer than any other emotion. It’s both exhilarating and disconcerting, mostly because she realizes what might occur. She clenches her hand regardless.  
“I hope you understand that I can draw my weapon, deflect your shots and decapitate you all before you can respond, right?”

The houk holds a tighter grip around his shotgun and then aims it for her.  
“Just try it, schutta.”

Thankfully, before any violence can begin, and a single shot can be fired, the front door of the building slides open. They hear how someone clears her throat from behind the guards and speaks up rather loudly.  
“Excuse me, those aren’t weapons aimed at _my_ sister’s girlfriend, are they? Because if they are, I’m not gonna be a very happy gizka.”

The voice and the words make the entire group of gang members look somewhat unsure. As they step aside, the only one who smiles is Bery.  
“Illy!”, she exclaims as she sees the dark blue-skinned twi’lek walking towards her.

Ilova smirks right back at her. Currently, she’s in a long beige coat, black pants and a red-white striped shirt.  
“Hello, you little brat. Getting into trouble again, huh? And right in my territory too.”

The happy expression disperses as Bery sighs.  
“…how come you _still_ call me that? I’m gonna be 30 in a few years, you know!”

“I know. I can even count the days until that event.  
But, I raised you, Bery. Doesn’t matter how old you get – you’ll always be a little brat to me.”  
Once she gets close enough, she wraps her arms around her little sister – who is also shorter, of course – and kisses her forehead. Doesn’t seem like she cares how public they are, as she loves her family too much.  
“But a cute one, I’ll admit.”

Bery smiles back at her, naturally returning the hug.  
“Asshole.”

Shortly after this show of intimacy is done, Ilova turns towards Lenorr. In the early days of this relationship, there was conflict between them, but their interactions have slowly gotten better after that. The older sister even sends mails to check in with Lenorr, every now and then.  
“Hey, Evintok. Glad to see you and Bery are still close.”  
When she approaches the Sith, she gently punches her shoulder. It doesn’t hurt, but due to the friendly attitude surrounding it, this sort of proves that she is fine with Lenorr. It also relaxes her guards.  
“How are you doing, huh? Hope you’re taking care of my little sister like you promised.”

“Naturally. It’s one of my foremost purposes on the Hypertrail.”

“Better be. If you think these boys and girls were mad, you haven’t seen anything yet.”

Bery is pleased to watch this conversation. Not only does it prove that Lenorr is welcome here, but also that Ilova actually trusts and likes her. If she didn’t, she’d have told them to kill Lenorr. Or, potentially, hold her down while Ilova beats her. It has almost happened before, with some of Bery’s partners that she wasn’t so keen on.  
This situation also displays how much respect Ilova has in this group. She may be taller than Bery, but not by much. She’s much smaller than a lot of these gangers, but they still obey her orders. She is the leader of this subsidiary gang to the Hutt Cartel and even some hutts hold her in high regard. And this is someone who’s not actually that violent either.  
Well…at least mostly. Bery knows Ilova won’t shy away from violence if she sees that it’s necessary. However, she does care for the people under her. Many know her as a charismatic leader, tough fighter _and_ mediator.

All of the guards have lowered their weapons now and the houk coughs in an embarrassed manner.  
“Uh, sorry, boss. We didn’t know these people were with you.”

Ilova smiles and pats his chest.  
“No problem, Sorag. But next time, call me _before_ you try to shoot any Sith on our block, okay?”

“…yes, boss.”

They take steps back, to get into their posts once more, which gives Bery the chance to talk.  
“So, how’s business going here?”

Ilova shrugs and places her hands at her hips.  
“How should I know? Business isn’t really my thing, Bery. I’m here to keep the peace and to fight for worker’s rights.  
That said, after all the madness of so many hutts aligning with this ‘New Empire’, the situation here has been really weird. Supreme Mogul Toborro has established all sorts of new rules that aren’t great. Demands a lot of crap from us too, which most of us aren’t keen on. At least our local hutts are easier to deal with, which I’m thankful for.”

“Well, not sure we can do much about that, but call me if you need us.”

Ilova nods.  
“Yeah, I will. However, that’s not why I asked you to come today. I wanted to talk about something specific. It’s best if we speak in private, though. Follow me.”

After gesturing for them to come with her, Lenorr and Bery joins the other woman in her ‘office’, so to speak. It’s an area within the building where she conducts most of her local affairs. However, it’s not really the kind of room that the Empire or Republic would call an office. In fact, the whole place feels much more like a repurposed apartment complex, and there’s all sorts of people here for different reasons. There are compartments for slicers, guards, arms dealers, goods, and all kinds of shit. This is part of their territory, the gang’s headquarters.

Once they enter the room that is Ilova’s place, she lets the other two walk ahead of her, before she glances around to make sure they’re not followed. She then steps inside, closes the door and locks it.  
“Uh, Illy?”, Bery asks. “Is something-“

She doesn’t get very far, as Ilova raises her hand to interrupt her.  
“Be quiet for a moment.”  
She digs her hand into one of her pockets and grabs some kind of device with a small screen on top. Looks like a datapad, but not quite. She appears to scan the room with it for about a minute, before she seems satisfied.  
“Alright, it’s clear.”

Bery arches an eyebrow suspiciously.  
“…clear? Illy, what’s going on?”

“Yeah, that’s what I’d like to know too.”  
Ilova sighs and drops her stuff on a nearby table. She does have a pretty big sofa here, but doesn’t seem to be in the mood to use it. She previously looked really friendly, but that has been replaced by a grim expression.  
“What the hell have you gotten yourself involved in now?”

Bery is taken aback by that, not really sure why her sister would say this. Has she done something wrong?  
“What do you mean?”

“There’s been a lot of shit going on around here. Some people have been bothering me lately and it’s apparently due to you.”

“People? What kind of people? What have they done?”

Ilova snorts and corrects her bronze-colored headband.  
“Well, that’s the difficult part. I can’t say for sure, not entirely. They’re never around when I try to confront ‘em.  
What I do know is that they’ve been asking all kinds of questions about you, in many parts of our territory and those of our neighbors. It’s also been hard to ignore that they’ve followed me around occasionally, especially a few times when I’ve been walking home.  
Initially, I thought these people might’ve come from a rival gang of some sort, who were planning to kill me. Not that strange, after all, since it’s everyday hutt politics. I prepared countermeasures for this event, but nothing ever happened. Apparently, they only followed and spied on me and…that’s it.”

“How much spying are we talking about?”

“Like, the type where you find listening devices and miniature cameras in your home, and even this building. So, they broke into my apartment, but never actually stole anything nor planted explosives. You see now why I’m kinda worried?  
The questions of why and who are still unknown to me, but since it’s about you, figured you might know more.”

Bery and Lenorr share a gaze, both of them seeming quite uncertain.  
“Uh, actually, I’m not sure either”, says the younger sister.  
“I mean, there’s a specific syndicate that has been going after my company lately. Not just as rivals, but potential enemies.”

Ilova furrows her brow.  
“Syndicate? What syndicate?”

“Silcore.”

The gang leader attempts to run the name through her mind for a few moments, but comes up with nothing.  
“Nope, never heard of it.”

“I’m not surprised, as they’re not huge in this part of the galaxy, I think. There haven’t been any attacks from either side yet, but it might be them.”

Lenorr nods slowly.  
“It could be, but I have my doubts. Why would Silcore go this far, to even spy on your family? They’re interested in your business, as far as I know. If they really wanted to extort you, they would have kidnapped Ilova or threatened her somehow.”

The frown on Ilova deepens.  
“Well, big criminal syndicates can work in pretty strange ways, especially if they have a tough enemy. I’ll admit this sounds a bit too elaborate, though.”

All three of them try to consider more angles, but nothing good comes to mind.  
Bery folds her arms and leans back against her girlfriend, using her as support.  
“With Rogun the Butcher and the Voidwolf out of the way, I can’t think of any other major enemies. Unless the Republic and the Empire are targeting us, I guess, but that makes no sense. We’re working for them right now.”

Ilova’s eyes drift to the ground and she strokes her chin in thought.  
“I don’t like this, especially if these people are going for a personal angle. What if they go after Tia’sin?”

This suggestion makes Bery widen her eyes in fear.  
“…shit. I hadn’t thought of that.”

Lenorr remains where she is, currently the one who seems to be most in control of herself. She also makes sure to hold one hand on Bery’s shoulder.  
“Well, Risha is doing her best to investigate the matter, but I suppose we may have to go further.  
Perhaps we should talk to Darth Acina.”

“Yeah, maybe. Don’t wanna drag her into this, but perhaps it’s for the best.”

They speak so matter-of-fact about it, but Ilova obviously looks quite confused.  
“Wait, who?”

“Ah, it’s just this chick in the Dark Council. She’s into us.”

Ilova stares at her sister for several moments, before she flinches and shakes her head to clear it.  
“Hold the fuck on – are you saying that you’re attracting _another_ Sith?

“Well…just a little.”

“Bery, I already worry enough for you when it comes to Lenorr. Now you’re trying to sleep with a Dark Councilor too?!”

The voice of the older sister has suddenly risen a few notches and the room grows tenser.  
“Hey, it’s not my fault! I can’t help being this irresistibly attractive!  
Besides, she likes Lenorr too.”

Lenorr doesn’t respond, and Ilova sighs deeply, while she buries her face in one of her hands.  
“…dammit, Bery. Am I gonna have to go have a chat with this one too?”

“Nope, you definitely don’t.”

Soon after, Lenorr clears her throat in an awkward way.  
“You should probably also understand that she’s one of the most powerful Sith in the galaxy, so…”

Ilova raises her eyes and stares right at the pureblood.  
“What, do you think that’s gonna stop me?”  
She closes the distance to her sister and puts her hand on Bery’s chin, lifting it up so that they can look at each other.  
“Sometimes, I wonder why the hell I put up with your shit.”

Despite the skeptical comment, Bery smiles at the slightly older twi’lek.  
“Because I’m your super cute lil’ sis and you love me?”

“Some days, I really wish that wasn’t true.”  
With another deep exhale, she shuts her eyes and tilts her head down, so that their foreheads can meet each other in a gentle touch.  
“You’re gonna give me a heart attack at some point.”

Bery’s eyes have closed too and she slips her arms around her sister’s waist.  
“Well, maybe you should consider that you’re being a bit too overprotective.”

“Bery…”

“But, alright, alright. I’ll try my best not to be too reckless from now on.”

“Thank you.”  
She leans her head back and glances between the two other women.  
“Now, can you two stay for dinner?”

“Hell yeah. It’s been a while, so I definitely want to.”

Lenorr nods, but also looks just a tiny bit hesitant.  
“…as long as you don’t aim to threaten me again.”

Ilova manages to look exceptionally amused as she pokes Lenorr’s stomach.  
“Hmm, no promises.”


	18. Brewing confrontation

The paths in life provided by the galaxy can be very strange and difficult to assess. Several years ago, Risha would not have anticipated that she would be working for a company, much less one that she helped found. She also couldn’t have predicted that this company would be aligned with both the Republic and the Empire. It’s still hard to say if she enjoys this idea or not, along with the influence and contacts they’re making through these actions.  
Then again, during those years, she never knew if would have secured her throne by now or if she’d be lying dead in a ditch somewhere, either due to the dangers of the underworld or because the King might've succeeded in killing her. She’s probably closer to the throne now than she has ever been.

Risha spends a lot of time in her office on Port Zodric and most days are dedicated to performing the tasks related to her position, but not all of them.  
At this time, she’s doing some research on Dubrillion and not just the war. She rarely gets the chance to study the planet that she wants to rule, especially not the customs that comply with the current era. Most of the information her father provided her was from ages ago and history can’t really help her understand what the people of today are like. She wants to learn as much as she possibly can about them, before the potential day when she stands ready to ascend.

The war on that world is progressing slowly, with a lot of breaks in between every offensive. Risha won’t deny that she’s getting impatient, even if she enjoys what she’s doing right now as well. The majority of this emotion is likely built on the uncertainty of the results, as she can’t know if her allies will succeed or not.  
She doesn’t really wish to be absent forever either, even if those who fight in her name believe that’s for the best. Perhaps it’s time that she asks Bery whether they can do more for Dubrillion. So far, they have been doing their best to aid the side which favors her, by shipping supplies and obtaining information, but they have not been directly involved with the fighting. Perhaps that’s the wrong decision.  
Risha can’t be entirely sure what would be seen as the right move in the eyes of her people, and this is why she needs to understand them better.

Unfortunately, these thoughts are interrupted by noise from the outside. She hears how her receptionist droid is speaking to someone in the lobby and the other person sounds very familiar. The droid is attempting to convince her guest that it’s an unwise choice to simply proceed without permission…but, of course, this particular individual doesn’t really care. Not like Risha would expect anything else.

“Please, miss Shodem, miss Drayen has instructed me to decline any guests. She does not wish to be disturbed.”

“Yeah, well, I’m not a disturbing element, so don’t worry about it. Don’t you know she adores me?”

Well, Risha did provide such directions to the droid, but it is also true that Bery is an exception. She always is, really, which should be a frustrating aspect, but tends to just be their reality. Risha is already shutting down whatever files she had up and prepares herself for the inevitable.  
Bery enters, walking in her usual attire – black vest, white shirt and black-red pants.  
“Yo, Risha. Sorry about the surprise visit.”

Behind the twi’lek, Risha can see Lenorr following her, which comes as no surprise. It’s very rare that either of them goes anywhere without the other.  
The droid joins them for now, but retains a focus on Risha.  
“Miss Drayen, I apologize profusely. I attempted to explain to miss Shodem, but she-“

Risha lifts her hand to interrupt.  
“It’s fine. I know what Bery is like already. I don’t blame you for letting her go.”

The droid seems practically disappointed with this conclusion, even more so when Bery smirks triumphantly at it.  
“Very well.”

“However, she’s the only exception. I would prefer if you don’t let anyone else come in here. We are not to be disturbed.”

“Yes, miss Drayen.”

Once the droid leaves and shuts the door behind it, Bery and Lenorr both continues further in. The Captain walks all the way up to desk and doesn’t stop until she’s right next to her friend. She wraps arms around Risha and kisses her cheek.  
“Good to see the office is still intact, with all the shit that’s been going on. How’s the situation on Zodric? What have you been up to?”

For now, Risha remains in her chair and once the mushy stuff is over with, she leans back and indicates her terminal with a thumb.  
“I was just doing some personal studies before you came in. Work has been surprisingly slow today, with how well we’ve been doing lately. Had some time for myself for once.”

Bery shrugs and gets seated on the edge of the desk, but on the same side that the chair is placed.  
“Sounds good to me. That’s what I always do too.”

They hear Lenorr snorting.  
“Compared to you, Bery does so practically every day.”

The Captain smirks and glances over her shoulder.  
“Yeah, so? Strict schedules are stupid anyway, especially when you’re flying your ship around the galaxy nonstop.  
Anyway, we didn’t actually come here to chat about work. We need to discuss some stuff. Lenorr and I were on Hutta recently.”

Due to having no real rush today, Risha was still feeling pretty relaxed up until just now. Whatever Bery had to say, it couldn’t be all too bad, could it?  
As usual, she underestimates the Captain.  
“Wait, what?”, Risha asks and suddenly straightens her position. “Bery, you know the hutts don’t want to do any business with us right now, don’t you? Pretty sure I told you this.”

“Yeah, I know, but this was an emergency.”

With a heavy sigh, Risha rests her elbow on the table and rubs her hand over her forehead. The beginning of a headache can be felt, before any explanation has even been provided.  
“What kind of trouble have you gotten into now?”

Bery frowns and spreads her arms in a surprised fashion.  
“Excuse me? Hey, why would assume I did anything at all?”

Lenorr folds her arms. She remains on the opposite side of the desk for now.  
“When you are involved, it is a reasonable conclusion.”

“You two should stop having such shitty opinions of me!”

“Then perhaps you should try to stay out of trouble.”

The Captain huffs indignantly, her lekku darting back and forth in a gesture neither can translate, but assume that it shows her annoyance.  
“Shut up. Besides, this wasn’t our fault; not directly, anyway.  
We went to Hutta to meet with Illy.”

Risha raises her hand to correct her hair somewhat, stroking some of it behind her ear.  
“Illy?”

“Ilova, my older sister.”

Despite having spent several years together now, Bery hasn’t given the others a lot of opportunities to meet her family. She is perhaps a little too protective of them.  
“Oh, right. Yeah, now I remember. She’s some kind of gang leader, right?”

“Sort of, yeah. She asked us to come over, so that she could give us some info about stuff that’s been happening lately. Pretty weird too, actually.”

“In what sense?”

“Well-“

Whatever explanation she was about to provide, it will apparently have to wait. Once more, Risha hears noise outside her office and the droid becoming quite upset. It appears her location is a rather popular one today.  
Unfortunately, the second visit is not nearly as pleasant as the first. Once the droid steps aside and the door opens, half a dozen troops marches in and position themselves on either side of the door, all of them armed. They are followed by none other than Kemmet Vhir himself.

Risha widens her eyes in surprise and rises to her feet.  
“Mister Vhir? We hadn’t expected you.”

The aged nautolan lets his dark eyes quickly sweep the room, before he stops somewhere in the middle. He’s standing in a set of sangria-colored robes, with the metal cane in his hands, which he uses to support himself with. It’s not like he constantly needs it to walk, but it comes in handy regardless.  
Bery looks surprised as well, although not particularly worried. She has dealt with this man before, even prior to becoming galactically famous.

The only one who grows somewhat tense is Lenorr. This old man has certainly been quite accommodating, but she doesn’t trust him, and it has nothing to do with what he looks like, but his position.  
Kemmet Vhir is an elusive individual, difficult to pinpoint. Is he a ganger, a syndicate leader, or a business man? Or perhaps all three? Where did he come from and how did his station become so powerful? No one can really tell, as there are too many origin stories, and she doesn’t like that. At least it’s usually not she who has to deal with him directly.

Kemmet positions both of his hands on the cane and offers them a solemn expression.  
“Miss Drayen, Captain Shodem, miss Evintok, good afternoon to all of you”, he says with his very minor non-native accent, using a polite tone. “I had not expected to meet the entire leadership of this company, but it is fortunate you are here. I wish to speak about something crucial regarding your organization.”

Bery does want to say something, but she leaves it to Risha for now, as the human has better manners. He’s not the biggest fan of the Captain, after all.  
Risha clears her throat and walks to the other side of the desk, holding her arms in front of her.  
“Of course, mister Vhir. What can we do for you?”

“My concern regards the conflict between you and the Silcore syndicate. I can’t ignore that it has grown even tenser than before.”

The Captain snorts and pushes herself away from the desk. She moves to stand next to it, placing her hands at her hips.  
“Yeah, we’ve kinda noticed that too.”

“Indeed”, Risha agrees. “We do still get the occasional holocall or encounter their members on the station. They remain…agitated, let’s say.”

Bery frowns somewhat, but still focuses on Kemmet.  
“Not only that – I received news on Hutta that they’ve been watching me and my family. This shit is getting a little too serious.”

Kemmet sighs.  
“Quite so and I was afraid that this would happen. Captain Shodem, miss Drayen, I hope you realize that I do not condone violence on my station. The reason I commissioned this facility and let so many organizations conduct business here was to promote cooperation and peaceful negotiation between parties around the galaxy that usually involve too much aggression. I cannot help but notice how your company is going in a different direction and that is not something I can abide for an extended period of time.”

It’s not like every discussion with Kemmet is pleasant, but this particular one sounds way too accusatory. It deepens Bery’s scowl even further.  
“Uh, excuse me? What the hell is that supposed to mean? Are you saying you’re gonna kick us all out?”

“Not entirely.”

Bery isn’t done and points a finger at him.  
“Because if that’s what you’re saying, can I point out that _we_ were not the ones who started this fucking conflict? Silcore came to us and began chatting shit.”

Risha is starting to appear a little bit alarmed, suddenly remembering that Bery can get pretty talkative if people begin to criticize her. The Captain has dealt with a lot of similar situations throughout her life, in the criminal underworld. Kemmet is not deterred by her tone, though.  
“Yes, that is true, but it is also a fact that Silcore was present on this station before you, yes? And these hostilities did not commence until your team arrived.”

“Mister Vhir, we have already discussed this matter several times”, Risha gently remarks. “As you already know, Silcore has yet to produce any actual hard evidence for our supposed trespassing and potential theft.”

The old man nods slowly.  
“I agree that what they have shown us so far has been…dubious at best, but at the same time, I cannot ignore the situation forever.  
I know the methods used by many organizations upon my station, and it is possible for rivals to act in the shadows before anyone else notices and destroy potential evidence, or even hide it efficiently.  
I am not accusing you of utilizing such means, but I remain cautious. If Silcore continues to be so adamant that their reality is the right one, regarding how your company actually does active harm to them, is it not possible that there are grains of truth in their claims?”

Bery takes a few steps forward, being quite close to Kemmet now. Some of the guards grip their weapons harder, but no one makes a move yet. The Captain holds her hands up ahead of her.  
“Wait just a fucking minute. Are you for real, old man? Are you just gonna listen to all their crap without question? I can’t believe you’re taking their side, without anything backing them up! How is that fair after all this time we’ve known each other?”

Despite her approach, Kemmet does not seem particular worried, just somewhat tired. He exhales and shakes his head.  
“I have not stated that I am taking anyone’s side, Captain. I am merely here to relay the information that I don’t believe this situation is so obvious as it appears. Not everything is so black and white.”

“You mean that you suspect us without any reasons for it? Yeah, sure, I guess that can be called ‘grey’, but it’s a shitty opinion if you ask me.”

“You are not the only party I shall address, Captain Shodem. I intend to go and speak with the syndicate as well, and make sure they understand where my stance is in this matter, but you three must still comprehend how seriously I take this entire scenario, no matter what you believe of your own supposed innocence.”  
He moves a few steps closer too and it becomes clear that he’s not much taller than her. It allows their eyes to meet on an even level.  
“I will not abide war on my station. Do you understand?”

His tone is calm, but there’s an underlying severity beneath, a threat regarding what he might do if they go too far. Bery crosses her arms and does not surrender, glaring right back at him.  
“This is banthashit, Vhir, and you know it. I shouldn’t have to-“

Before she gets too far, Lenorr has already grabbed her shoulder and pulls her back, interrupting her in case she attempts to insult him. She is replaced by Risha, who seems a lot more cordial.  
“Of course, we understand. We shall take your warning into account.  
I do hope you will give us a chance, mister Vhir. We are just as adamant that this is not our fault and we will find a way to prove it. It’s not justice if the wrong people are convicted.”

He seems a little doubtful, but inclines his head anyway.  
“You have not yet run out of chances in my eyes. Neither of you have. If you produce absolute proof of your claims, then I shall make sure that Silcore does not stay unpunished for any accusations they hurled in your direction.  
I wish you good luck in your investigation and a pleasant day.”

Once he leaves and the soldiers follow, Risha turns towards Bery.  
“Look, I know you’re angry and I get it, but we can’t let this get out of hand. We don’t want to make too many enemies on this station, do we?”

Bery still looks kinda grumpy when Lenorr’s hands leave her, and she corrects her vest in an annoyed fashion.  
“…no, but I just hate it when assholes blame me for shit I’ve never done. I’m not gonna let them destroy us with lies.”

“I know, and that isn’t the plan. In fact, I’ve already been trying to start something up. You remember Shariss?”

The Captain has to ponder it for a moment or two, scratching her cheek in thought.  
“Uh…I think so. Your SIS friend, right?”

“That’s the one. She has offered to help us out.  
We’re going to meet in a few weeks, when Shariss has more time to investigate. You should be there when we do. And call Jovana as well, so we can get her in on this.  
Together, I’m sure all three sides will be able to solve this mess before Vhir gets tired of us.”


	19. Ascended trail

A slow and pleasant tune from a piano and some form of bass can be heard through the speakers within the promenade of the Adorra Spacedock, orbiting the capital world of the Sith Empire. For those who have visited Port Nowhere or Port Zodric in the past, this place is several levels above them; not just in the decorative pieces, but in the quality, design and upkeep of the materials used to construct the very framework of the station.

The corridors are lined with holographic depictions of individuals, imperial planets and various artistic displays, along with actual physical pictures of famous imperial art and landscapes. Glittering crystals can be seen along the edge of the walkway, switching colors every few minutes, being held not too far away from the soft and wide carpets at the center of the path. Of course, a station like this would not be completed without imperial banners hanging along every few walls, as well as at the entrances of most establishments that operate here.

As two particular guests arrive in the hangar and then head up through the elevator to the promenade, they are treated to some interesting sights. A certain Dark Councilor had informed them that the view from the restaurant is supposedly quite spectacular, but they can see that virtually every area where visitors may roam is lined with enough windows to provide some kind of image of Dromund Kaas. Definitely doesn’t look bad, even if not exactly as picturesque as Alderaan might do. Certainly an improvement from Nar Shaddaa, though.

For the Captain who steps out from the elevator, this isn’t really her first visit to the capital world, even if she’s not an imperial. That said, she doesn’t believe she has ever been given the chance to just stand and view the world from above, bask in the sights of its orbital angle. Usually, the patrols at this altitude prefer that you head down to the surface as quickly as possible and don’t dawdle.

Of course, this isn’t the only thing that gets Bery’s attention when she traverses the fancy halls around her, as she notes how quite a few people glances her way. The foremost reason for this is probably due to being twi’lek or possibly in recognition of her identity as a famous criminal, but she likes to think her outfit garners some interest too. She walks around in one of the most expensive suits she has ever worn, in white and gold, with a scarlet red shirt underneath, unbuttoned at the top. She has obviously polished her headband too and even wears a silver chain necklace.

While some may have expected her to don something more daring, that is actually what her girlfriend has chosen – or been convinced – to do. Lenorr is wearing a sleeveless dark green dress with an extended collar that almost completely covers her neck. Further down, it is slightly opened on either side, however, which reveals a little bit of her long and toned legs, especially when she walks around. Her body is also adorned with more jewelry than usual, including some armbands, rings and a thick black sash with golden ornaments.  
While the Captain only has a light application of cosmetics, Lenorr uses a bolder violet lipstick and eye shadow.

As they wander through the hallways, trying their best to ignore the stares, they stay close to each other, their hands locked together. Bery glances up and can’t help but notice the slight frown on her girlfriend’s face.  
“I look stupid, don’t I?”, Lenorr says to her quietly.

Bery snorts and rolls her eyes, having expected this reaction.  
“Oh, shut up. You know that’s not true, babe. Did you even check the mirror before we left? You look extremely hot. Can’t blame these people, as I almost can’t stop looking myself.”

Even though she doesn’t say it, that’s pretty much the only reason Lenorr agreed to wear any of this. She doesn’t mind robes, but as soon as she starts to show off, she feels silly somehow. Perhaps it’s the wrong attitude to have.  
“You always say that.”

“Yeah, cuz I always mean it.”  
Bery leans a bit closer and lowers her voice even further.  
“You should wear it into the bedroom later, so I can enjoy taking it off…slowly.”

Lenorr narrows her eyes slightly and glances sideways at the Captain.  
“Are you sure it’s the dress you enjoy?”

Bery gives her a sly expression in return and wiggles her eyebrows.  
After a few more seconds of silence, Bery lets her gaze drift through the corridor. She briefly wonders how much this is worth. Will she ever have a station like this someday?  
“So, this is one of those fancy imperial spacedocks, huh? You ever been to a place like this before?”

“Not specifically this type, but similar, yes. Adorra is much more famous, due to its location, and therefore gains more funds, but there’s also one on Ziost built for the purposes of expensive entertainment and relaxation.  
Personally, I am not a fan of such facilities, as there is too much annoying protocol.”

Bery arches her brow confusedly.  
“Hang on, I thought that’s your thing. Aren’t you into all the logistics stuff?”

Lenorr shakes her head.  
“I like my work to be strictly and accurately coordinated, so that my surroundings can proceed efficiently. I don’t care much for dress codes, etiquette and polite small talk.”

“Heh, fair enough.”

The closer they wander towards the restaurant area, the more important people they appear to walk past. This obviously means they gain more attention, and Bery isn’t entirely sure what it conveys. Are they judging her for being an alien, or for what type of couple she and Lenorr is? She has experienced this previously, of course, but when they do jobs for the Empire, most officials either don’t have time to care or they don’t notice.

There is a particular aspect that Lenorr seems somewhat intrigued by as well and decides to share.  
“Hmm, this is interesting. I’m not surprised to see so many humans and purebloods, but there are a higher number of aliens present than I anticipated.”

Well, Bery could perhaps point out that the ratio is quite uneven, but if she really looks, she has to admit that she actually does see an unusual number of them and not just as personnel. She spots a few zabrak, mirialan, chiss, falleen and even nautolan guests.  
“Huh. Outsiders or something else?”

“A bit of both, I assume. My guess is that it’s a recent development, in the last few years. The ascension of Imperius, Karrid and Wrath has done a lot to alter the Empire’s structure, even if there are still difficult cultural aspects to deal with.  
Added to this is the Emperor’s absence and the departure of several Dark Council members, which has made many realize that they can no longer ignore their faults. The younger generations are growing up in a changing society and they are likely aiding with this transformation.”

Bery nods slowly, not having thought much about it. She wonders what it must have been like to live in the Empire before the wars, especially as an alien. Probably pretty horrible.  
“Let’s hope this trend continues then.”

When they finally arrive at the correct restaurant, Bery is somewhat surprised. She had expected a long line of people, due to how prestigious this place is supposed to be, but there’s nothing like that. Perhaps you can’t enter if you haven’t already reserved a table.  
A light brown-skinned human with short black hair stands just inside the entrance, behind a small counter, wearing a fancy grey uniform. Must be some kind of guest list coordinator. Once they walk towards him, he eyes both of them and looks skeptically at Bery.

“The staff’s entrance is in the back. You don’t go through here.”

Lenorr immediately frowns at him, while Bery is taken aback at first. She’s confused for a second or two, before she shakes her head.  
“Oh, fuck you. I’m a guest, asshole. Check the fucking list for Bery Eka’Shodem.”

His expression is highly doubtful, but he lowers his gaze to examine it anyhow. Before he gets all too far, all of them hear another voice from just outside the opening.  
“I hope this is not a slight against one of my companions, mister. If it is, I shall make sure your job includes nothing but scrubbing sewers in Kaas City by next week.”

The threatening tone is enough to surprise him, but not as much as the appearance of the person approaching them. Bery and Lenorr immediately recognize the woman they came here for, but in a completely different attire. It is a lot…bolder than anticipated.  
She wears a long black dress, almost down to her feet, but with an absent neckline. The outfit is open in the middle, all the way to her stomach, which shows off quite a bit in that area, only covering half of her chest. It’s practically the opposite of Lenorr’s, as she actually has long sleeves. Around her neck and shoulders lies a thin violet scarf with black imperial symbols, and her hair hangs loosely over her left shoulder.  
Just like Lenorr, she wears high-heeled shoes, but hers are somewhat more elevated. She uses a similar number of cosmetics as the other Sith, but in shades of dark grey.  
The bottom level of her dress is also asymmetrical – one side is completely covered, while the other is quite open, completely displaying one leg. Interestingly, the exposed one has patterns of red and gold along it, marked with symbols one might find in the Ziost Sith Academy. Are they tattoos or paint? They can’t tell.

As Acina usually wears robes and armor that completely conceals her, this is quite a change, making her body much more visible. She is not as physically strong or trained as Lenorr, but instead has a softer and curvier build, closer to Bery. It’s difficult for either of them to avoid looking.  
Acina keeps her hands at her hips and practically glares at the man, who views her with an increasing amount of trepidation.

“D-Darth Acina! These are your-...”  
He quickly bows his head.  
“My sincerest apologies! I-I wasn’t aware, my lord. I n-never meant to insult either you or them, I swear!”

That makes the Councilor snort derisively at first, but her annoyed expression shifts into a smile when she gradually approaches her guests.  
“You are the offended party here, Captain. Do you wish to deliver any punishment for this man?”

Bery surveys the Dark Councilor’s body even further now that she’s so close, not hiding her interest. When their eyes meet again, she smirks.  
“Nah, I’m fine. That you made him piss his pants is enough for me.”

The entrance of the restaurant erupts with gentle laughter from Acina. When she calms down, she takes one of Bery’s hands elegantly and kisses the back of it.  
“You are ever so graceful, Captain.” She then glances at the man. “I hope you are appreciative of this display of mercy.”

He shifts his pose to stand at attention.  
“Y-yes, my lord! Thank you, Captain Shodem.”

After they’re done here, Acina positions herself in the middle of her guests, puts a hand to each of their backs and gently guides them into the restaurant. Even more gazes turn in their direction at that point, but this time its mostly due to the fact that a Dark Councilor has entered. It’s usually quite a spectacle when one does, but this Sith is not much for theatrics and she merely raises her hand to wave at some of them, before she proceeds upstairs, to a much more private section of this place.

They arrive at the second level, with the best view of both the area around them, as well as the planet. They have been given a booth and every nearby table is empty, which is likely Acina’s doing. A cathar waiter comes and takes their order, and Acina asks for a bottle of Bosthirdian wine.  
Once they’re finally alone, Acina surveys both of them eagerly, puts her hands together and offers them a smile.

“So, here we are – a Dark Councilor, the lovely Lord Tremor and the ever so delightful Voidhound.”

Lenorr exhales through her nose, while she spots a skeptical twitch of Bery’s lekku.  
“…seriously?”, the twi’lek asks. “This is how you start our date?”

Acina chuckles.  
“Apologies, Captain. I can’t seem to stop enjoying your nickname.”

“It’s not even mine! I don’t remember picking that thing. A bunch of idiots gave it to me.”

“Yes, that’s how nicknames work”, Lenorr points out. “You don’t choose one for yourself.”

“Yeah well, maybe people should stop calling me what I don’t want to hear. Seriously, it’s stupid.”

A fair enough observation and it reminds Lenorr of something too.  
“You’re probably right and I should also mention that I don’t use that title anymore, my lord. I’m not currently affiliated with the Sith.”

Acina’s arms were resting on the table, but she now folds them instead and smiles at the pureblood.  
“True enough. However, if I may not use either of those titles tonight, then you are not allowed to use mine either.”

It’s not really an unreasonable request, but it still confuses both of them, especially the Captain. Bery raises her hand to scratch her cheek.  
“Uh, okay. So, what should we call you then?”

“Riela Macerion, or just Riela. It is my birthname, after all.”

Surprise surfaces on both of the other women’s faces, shortly before Bery becomes quite delighted.  
“Your real name, huh? Now that’s not something I expected.”

“I only give it to people I trust and enjoy the company of, but it is also displayed in our official records.”

“Hmm, Riela. I like it. Got a nice ring to it.”

“Thank you, Cap-…Bery.”  
Copying the Captain’s previous action, she also eyes the attires on her companions.  
“May I just say that I believe you chose absolutely fabulous outfits for tonight? You both look lovely.”

Lenorr clears her throat awkwardly.  
“Thank you”, she mumbles.

Bery is obviously much more confident in her choice and smirks.  
“Thanks! Cost quite a lot of creds too, but we did our best to fit the theme of this place. Although, honestly, I think Lenorr’s turned out the best.”

“Nonsense”, Acina insists. “You are just as impressive, Captain. A most dashing appearance, which I’m sure turned a lot of heads on your arrival.”

She did, of course, but perhaps not for the reason Acina might’ve hoped.  
“Heh, maybe. But hey, you’re not all too shabby yourself. Didn’t think a nerd could get so sexy.”

Her words briefly startle Lenorr, who feels the need to correct them.  
“…I don’t think that’s the appropriate description. I would perhaps say…classy. And beautiful, of course.”

Acina giggles, highly entertained by both of their reactions.  
“Both of your observations are appreciated. I do dress to impress. Well…try to, anyhow. I will admit that I asked for some assistance with this particular getup.”

Once they receive their drinks, they all go for a few sips, which turns the table quiet for a little while. After the moment has passed, Lenorr angles her head slightly to glance down on some of the people at the lower level.  
“There seems to be a lot of Sith present tonight”, she remarks.

Another sip of wine enters Acina’s mouth before she sets it down and responds, her face slightly more serious.  
“I noticed, but I already knew that would be the case. I’m unsure if this is due to a lack of assignments for these people or because they wish to celebrate something before they plunge into the chaos of war, but I suppose they should be allowed to indulge themselves. Most of them know that we are not in any easy position at this time.”

Neither of the other two try to oppose this notion, but Lenorr still hesitates. This wasn’t quite what she had intended when she brought up this subject.  
“Well, while this may be true, I also believe it is highly likely that people will be talking about our little…encounter here. It might become a conversational topic in several circles of the Empire.”

Ah, of course. Lenorr seems to be the one most concerned with their reputations.  
Acina looks at her and shrugs nonchalantly.  
“I assume as much. Does that bother you?”

Lenorr views the human for a few moments and then lowers her eyes to the wine, fidgeting with the glass.  
“Well…a little. Isn’t that appropriate?”

“I’m not sure it is. Don’t actually know if I care what they think of us. It’s not their business.  
Besides, I have already informed Imperius.”

Suddenly, Lenorr’s eyes widen and she practically flinches.  
“You what?”

The Councilor smiles.  
“It felt like she deserved to know, and I wanted her to be sure of my intentions. She has a lot of control on Dromund Kaas at this time, and would likely have heard of this dinner.”

If Imperius knows and with all the guests who have viewed their joint approach, there will be a lot of talk. Lenorr fears that it might travel to Ziost, although she isn’t sure what consequences will come of this. Perhaps it will be good, but most likely, they will simply gossip. It’s what they do in those circles.  
At the same time, Bery leans forward on the table and smirks. Her first glass is already empty.  
“And what are those intentions, huh?”

Acina doesn’t hesitate as she faces Bery’s challenge with confidence.  
“To enjoy myself with two of the most spectacular women in this galaxy.”

“So, you wanted to boast, eh? Can’t blame ya. We are pretty damn hot.”

While Acina giggles at first, the next look she gives Bery carries a rather intriguing glint in it.  
“I cannot argue with facts, Captain.”

Lenorr sighs, shuts her eyes and strokes a hand over her freckles and nose.  
“Dammit. I bet my siblings and parents will find out at some point. I don’t know what I should tell them if they ask.”

“Bah, who gives a shit?”, Bery asks dismissively. “Illy already knows, so it can’t get any worse.”

“Don’t you remember my parents?”

“Yeah, sure, but you’re on a date with another Sith now, babe. A Dark Councilor, even. They’re not gonna judge this quite like they did with me, are they?”

Lenorr leans back in her chair and crosses her arms, seeming more troubled by the minute.  
“I’m uncertain. Sith politics is a very complicated matter, especially when it involves romance, sex and other close partnerships. You never know how something might be interpreted, or how someone will use it against you.”

These words had just been blurted out, as the pureblood wanted to explain her reservations, but it also has the effect of making Acina very amused.  
“Romance?”, she asks excitedly. “Is that we’re doing here tonight?”

Lenorr blinks, having forgotten that they haven’t exactly established what this is. She opens her mouth, but the emerging embarrassment prevents her from answering properly.  
“Well, I uh…”

Bery grins, glad that someone addressed it, even if inadvertently.  
“Could be. But if you just wanna fool around, I’m up for that too.”

Acina smiles at the Captain and then offers her a quick wink.  
“We shall see how the night goes.  
However, you shouldn’t worry too much about the other Sith, Lenorr. Gossip is what they do, and as I told you last time, I don’t care about them. If I did, I would not have invited the two of you to dine with me in such a public area.  
Let them talk, let them gossip, let them politic. The three of us should focus on enjoying ourselves instead, have some fun. The rest of the galaxy be damned.”

Her blunt and bold opinion appears to offer the other two some courage as well and Lenorr actually begins to smile, even if somewhat shyly.  
“I…like how you think. It’s definitely a healthier outlook.”

The Captain’s grin widens.  
“You know, couple of months back, I hadn’t thought you’d by my kind of woman. I was obviously wrong.”

“Splendid”, says Acina. “I do wish to learn all about your preferences, after all.”

“Good to hear.  
So, Riela, what does one do on a date with a Dark Councilor?”

Surprisingly, some of Acina’s confidence falters here and she slowly runs a few fingers over her chin in thought.  
“I…wish I could tell you, but I wouldn’t know. I haven’t actually been on one in several years, long before I had this position.”

Bery tilts her head both curiously and amusedly.  
“Hang on, you saying that you invited us here without a plan?”

“Well, yes. My entire strategy consisted of letting us have a good time together and eating well. I’m not quite sure what to do beyond that.”

Bery sits up, folds her arms and lets her gaze sweep the area around them.  
“Is there anything we could do in here after this?”

“Hmm, possibly. I haven’t scoured what other establishments this spacedock offers.”

“I believe they have an exclusive Sith opera available somewhere”, Lenorr remarks.

It’s not a suggestion made with all too much interest, and much less so when the Captain views her doubtfully.  
“Uh…not to be rude or anything, but I think I’m gonna have to be really fucking drunk before I agree to visit a place like that.”

Acina tilts her head back and laughs.  
“Drunk viewing of opera? I don’t believe I have ever tried that before. They sell a lot more than wine in here, so we could certainly try.”

“Heh, could be interesting. Never been thrown out of an opera before.  
Hmm, guess it’s kinda obvious, but do they have any gambling parlors?”

She hadn’t expected much, but is still somewhat disappointed when the Councilor shakes her head.  
“This isn’t that type of station, Captain.”

“Meh. Figured as much.  
What about dancing? Any clubs or whatever?”

“I doubt they would use that word, but there are dance floors, yes. Though, with the three of us, I’m uncertain how that would turn out.”

Bery smiles and shrugs.  
“Ah, don’t worry about it. We’ll think of some way to solve any issues. You two could just lean into me.”  
Her eyes drift down to view the lower sections of her dates’ attires.  
“Guess your dresses aren’t perfect for anything with a party flavor, though.”

After crossing her legs, both of them now within Bery's line of sight, Acina casually runs a few fingers through her hair.  
“If that is a concern, we could try to find a change of clothes later on.”

“…do we have to dance?”, Lenorr asks hesitantly. “My skills in that field are…lacking.”

Acina chuckles.  
“You know, that only makes me want to experience it even more.”

“…not in any public areas. I refuse.”

Giving them both another amused look, Bery grabs one hand from each them and holds them gently, while she glances between the two women.  
“Well, since you can’t decide, guess it’s up to me. I’ll find some way to treat both of ya, I’m sure. Just have to follow my lead.”

Lenorr rolls her eyes, but doesn’t protest. Even more intriguing, Acina actually turns her hand around, entwining her fingers with those of the Captain.  
“I don’t mind. Since you have more experience, I suppose we shall offer ourselves into your capable grasp, Captain. We will do whatever you want.”

A shiver of excitement runs through Bery’s body and with an increased playfulness, she raises Acina’s hand and kisses the back of it, matching the Councilor’s previous gesture.  
“You don’t know how much I enjoy hearing women tell me that.”

Lenorr buries her face in her other hand out of embarrassment.  
“…how did I ever fall for you?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _Yeah, I had to create a name for Acina, as I don't think that's her real name. I'll still mostly use the Sith title to describe her, but Bery and Lenorr may call her Riela in private._   
>  _I also feel like this date displays how their relationship will work in general - Lenorr worries, Bery flirts endlessly and Acina tries to appease both._


	20. Twin moons

Port Zodric, while an entertaining location to visit and work on, is not exactly the safest place in the galaxy. The majority of the denizens engage in some kind of criminal activity, to various degrees. For this reason, some are more than ready to spy or sabotage for their peers and it becomes somewhat hard to build trust. The station’s leader does of course try to promote peaceful negotiations, but not everyone listens.

Due to concerns of security and integrity, when Bery meets up with Risha on this day, it is not on Zodric. Despite having left it behind to a certain extent, they have chosen Port Nowhere for this particular gathering, as it’s easier to blend in and disappear. Besides, few would expect them to return out of the blue and it’s that assumption they hope to promote. Hopefully, no one will see through it.

Well, technically, Port Nowhere is still seen by many as a location controlled by Bery and a lot of its business is aligned with the company she and Risha owns. The station may not directly answer to them and they don’t have a permanent office on it anymore, but they are still always welcome here. The various vendors and merchants who operate within show them respect, especially the Captain, and no one would attempt to oppose them.

When Bery lands the Hypertrail and enters the largest cantina inside, she is not accompanied by Lenorr. She left her girlfriend to deal with various things on Zodric, perhaps to keep Silcore and others distracted. A Sith does attract a lot of attention.  
Bery continues further inside this establishment, into one of the special rooms at the back. She doesn’t even need to tell anyone she’s going, as she’s just naturally allowed entry. Once she does, she sees two women already waiting.

Risha looks at the Captain and slowly shakes her head.  
“You’re late.”

She’s seated on a big sofa and next to her sits a rather familiar mirialan – agent Shariss of the SIS.  
This spy smiles at her now and waves.  
“Captain! Long time no see. Wasn’t sure I’d ever get the chance to meet you again.”

Both of them are dressed rather casually, in simple shirts and pants. Bery looks highly amused upon approach, but starts by pointing at Risha.  
“First of all, you’re wrong. I arrived exactly when I intended.”

The human snorts.  
“Which wasn’t the time we agreed upon.”

“Details”, she says and then turns towards the other woman with a small smirk. “Secondly – missed me?”

Shariss chuckles.  
“Your flying skills, mostly.”

The twi’lek plonks herself down next to Shariss, on the opposite side of Risha.  
“Not my pretty face?”

“Hah! Sorry, Captain, I don’t let myself get distracted by such things.”

“Well, guess you haven’t gotten to know me well enough yet to miss my great personality.”

Risha rolls her eyes.  
“Pff. ‘Great’ is an overstatement.”

It appears Shariss is enjoying their little banter, based on her smile, but she doesn’t let it get in her way.  
“You’re right, though, we never did get that chance. I’ve done my best to send the occasional message to Dray, but it’s difficult to keep in touch when you’re with the SIS.”  
She lifts her hand and pokes Bery’s side.  
“Also, I’m kinda disappointed that you chose to abandon your old contract with the Republic. You were a useful ally. The SIS even talked about making you a potential exterior agent.”

Bery folds her arms and tilts her head amusedly.  
“Did they now? Well, that would’ve been a mistake, as I was never particularly loyal.  
I won’t blame ya for feeling this way, but staying with the Reps was never what I really wanted. I don’t like being tied to one organization.”

She sounds pretty confident in her statement, but for some reason, that manages to summon a sly smile on Shariss’ lips.  
“Is that so? Huh. What are these rumors I hear about being on a date with Darth Acina then?”

Any entertaining notions disperses from Bery’s face and she clears her throat awkwardly.  
“Where uh…where did you hear that?”

“Just what a few birds whispered to me.”

“Well…erm, no comment? I think that’s the right term.”

It’s rare that Risha gets to watch Bery squirm a bit, which brings a smile to her lips as well.  
“Heh. That’s unlike you.”

“Yeah well, I can spill all the beans for the prying SIS agent if you really want me to, _partner_.”

“I could tell you to keep your mouth shut, but I suspect Shariss will find out the truth either way. She is one of the best.”

Seeming to enjoy their slightly uncomfortable tension, Shariss smiles and pats their thighs with one hand each.  
“Well, since you don’t wanna gossip about that, should we begin our discussion? We came here to talk business, after all.”

“Not yet”, Risha tells her. She leans forward to the table in the middle, where they have a bottle of whiskey that she grabs a third glass for. There is already one drink each poured up for her and Shariss, but she prepares one for Bery too.  
“We’re waiting for one more person that I wanted to invite.”

“I did wonder who the fourth glass was for.”

After Bery gets her drink, she sips on it and then puts it back down.  
“You probably know I’m pals with Jovana, right?”

Shariss turns her head to the other side and nods curtly.  
“The last Grand Champion of the Great Hunt? I may have heard some things about that, yes.”

“’course you have. Bet you didn’t even need to ask your SIS buddies, as I’m sure half the fucking galaxy gossip about that shit. Anyway, it’s true, she’s my friend and Risha asked me to get her here. Believes she can help out with some information.”

“Hmm. That does seem like a sound decision. She’s been involved with the underworld as well, I bet.”

“Oh yeah, big time. She’s been doing more legit stuff for the last few years, but that doesn’t mean she has lost her touch.”

In a very timely fashion, all three of them hear noises outside the door, one of them which appears to be Jov’s voice talking to someone.  
There is a little bit of concern, due to the fact that she is apparently accompanied by another person, which means she brought a guest. Risha leans forward and angles her head to glance sideways at Bery.  
“Did you invite someone else?”

Bery hesitates, briefly wondering if she made a mistake, but can’t think of anything.  
“Uh, nope. Just Jov.”

As the door slides open and Jov stands there at the entrance in her usual red and white armor, she is accompanied by another human. This one has pale skin and black hair in a ponytail, while being dressed in a neat, albeit unmarked dark grey suit. Over the left eye, it is possible to see a cybernetic patch.  
She is immediately familiar to the Captain, while both Risha and Shariss look confused.  
Jov raises her hand in greeting.

“Sup?”

Bery sighs.  
“…well, shit.”

The mandalorian hadn’t expected that reaction and arches her brow confusedly.  
“What’s wrong?”

“Jov…what the hell is Cierah doing here?”

“What do you mean? I invited her, of course.”

She speaks so casually, as if it isn’t an issue at all. If only she knew exactly what’s going on.  
Bery lifts a hand to cover her eyes with.  
“And you just _forgot_ to tell me about it?”

Jov shrugs in return.  
“Didn’t think it’d be a problem. You said you needed information, right? Cierah is the very best at acquiring that stuff.”

For the time being, the woman at Jov’s side doesn’t say anything, nor react in any particular way. She only watches silently.  
As she feels a bit out of the loop, Risha holds up her hands.  
“Okay, back up. Can someone tell me what’s going on here? I feel like there’s some complication I’m not getting. Who is this and why did you invite her, Jovana?”

The mandalorian raises her hand and points a thumb at her companion.  
“This is Cierah, my girlfriend.”

“…and why would you bring your girlfriend to a meeting like this?”

“Well, she knows a lot about infiltration, information gathering, spying…stuff like that.”

Being more than a little interested – and perhaps somewhat suspicious – Shariss narrows her eyes and tilts her body forward, resting her arms on her legs.  
“And why is that?”

Now that’s a more difficult topic and Jov suddenly realizes that she doesn’t recognize this mirialan.  
“Uh…well…”

She decides to gaze questioningly her girlfriend, but Cierah doesn’t seem particularly interested in immediately responding. Instead, she focuses on the mirialan.  
“Shariss Kartur, SIS”, she states in an even tone, with an imperial accent.

Shariss herself widens her eyes.  
“What the-…wait, you know me?”

“I know _of_ you, yes. I have acquired names and faces of many SIS agents.”

The tension in the room was already quite fierce, but now its practically palpable.  
Jov clears her throat, hoping to relieve it somewhat.  
“Cierah is…an expert. Sort of.”

Risha frowns towards her.  
“On spies?”

“Well-“

“Correct”, Cierah tells them while interrupting her girlfriend. “I used to be Cipher Nine of Imperial Intelligence. This is my forte.”

The room grows very silent for several moments, before Risha’s hands shoot up in front of her once more, this time in shock.  
“Whoa! Hold on. Imperial Intelligence?” She glances at Bery. “And you know her?”

In a rather awkward fashion, Bery coughs and corrects her shirt.  
“Well, uh…yeah, sort of.”

“And you never thought to inform me of this?!”

She spreads her arms defensively.  
“Hey! I…I wasn’t sure if it was appropriate! It was all really weird when I last saw her, but…yeah, we’ve met.”

Cierah still looks rather unfazed by it all, but inclines her head in recognition towards Bery.  
“Indeed we have. I hope lady Evintok is doing alright.”

“I mean, yeah, sure. She’s not here today, though.”

“A pity, but perhaps for the best.”

In the middle of their little casual conversation, Shariss stands up from her seat and she looks directly at Cierah, staring intently. It seems like her eyes can’t quite decide what emotion she should embrace when viewing this human, though.  
“You know, I’m not certain if I should be confused, laughing or shoot you.”

Cierah’s eye drift to meet with those of the SIS agent.  
“Do what you wish. I don’t really care.”

Shariss begins to frown and crosses her arms.  
“Well, you probably should. You’re exposed now, ‘Cipher Nine’. I know who you are.”

“Incorrect. You know my face, but that is irrelevant. My signature is erased from most databanks. You won’t be able to find me.”

The scowl of the mirialan deepens, but a small smirk appears as well.  
“I love it when they get smug. So much easier and more satisfying to knock ‘em down at that point.”

“I believe one would say it’s not overconfidence if it is true. I have infiltrated SIS camps before, even some of your bases.”

Well, if there’s something Risha had expected out of this situation, it was not that she would stumble right into some kind of confrontation between agents from two different sides.  
She sighs and buries her face in one hand.  
“Oh c’mon, this bickering is ridiculous. If this Cierah really came here to help us out, then we are all here to discuss business, yes?”  
She redirects her eyes to the Champion.  
“Can’t you do something?”

Previously, Jov had seemed kinda unsure, but after Shariss' identity was revealed, she now glances between them with much more interest.  
“I dunno. This agent rivalry is kinda hot.”

Cierah rolls her eye and lifts her hand to poke Jov’s cheek.  
“Stop that.”

In the meantime, Shariss merely snort.  
“Yeah? Well, too bad, because your girl here can leave. She’s not needed when there’s already an expert on site.”

“Another mistake. They will need me, as my expertise in information gathering is far superior to yours.”

“You wish.”

“I would be more than willing to demonstrate it, if you prefer.”

“Only with my gun at your back.”

Jov folds her arms, the amusement on her face slowly growing.  
“What did I say? This just keep getting hotter.”

It’s not only Risha who thinks this is futile, as Bery is also getting tired. She strokes a hand over one of her lekku, hoping to control her slight anxiety. It’s not impossible that either of these women begin to shoot.  
“C’mon, you two shouldn’t be fighting.”

Shariss glances at the twi’lek with disapproval in her eyes.  
“You don’t get it, Captain. If you believe I will feel safe with an imperial agent in this room, then you must not understand how this shit works.”

“Well”, Cierah begins, “technically, I am not part of Imperial Intelligence anymore.”

“Ooh, so we’re dealing with technicalities now, are we?”, Shariss asks in a slightly mocking fashion. “Gonna lie to my face and tell me you’re not loyal to the Empire either?”

“I didn’t say that.”

“Exactly.”

Risha can’t handle this any longer. She sits up and slams her hands on the table.  
“Enough! I know this isn’t the best scenario, nor what we planned, but can we at least sit down and discuss this matter like adults, before jumping to conclusions?  
Maybe you don’t trust her, Shariss and I’m not sure I do either, but it’s not like she has the upper hand here. You’ve got both me and the Captain, and Jovana is a friend. No one is going to start shooting you here, not without serious repercussions.”

Both of them quiet down momentarily, and while Shariss looks somewhat dissatisfied, she doesn’t immediately oppose the notion.  
Cierah gestures at her.  
“I would be willing to listen, if you are, agent.”

As she has to face the conclusion of potentially being the only obstructing element, Shariss sighs and sits down again.  
“Fine, I guess we can talk. But I’m making no promises.”

Jov and Cierah take seats for themselves on the sofa, but Cierah makes the right call and sits as far as she can from Shariss, hoping not to disturb the mirialan.  
“Good, thanks”, says Risha. “Let’s begin then.  
The reason we’re all here is because we wanted to talk about the Silcore syndicate. Are you both familiar with it?”

Shariss nods quickly.  
“I read the file you sent me.”

“And I have acquired one on my own”, Cierah remarks. “I have read about all major syndicates on that station, during previous visits.”

None of them ask, but perhaps it shouldn’t be strange to consider an imperial agent having an interest in a place like this. Seeing no reason to wait, Risha continues.  
“Well, it’s Silcore we’re focusing on today, as its members have been blaming us for all sorts of crap in the last few months – espionage, trespassing, theft, even piracy. It’s crazy.  
And yes, it is kind of ironic that a syndicate of all things would be upset about this, but they don’t want to lose any of their business. We get that, obviously.”

Shariss already knows a little bit about it, of course, but she now gets more details, which makes her curious.  
“Any indications why they would think you’re responsible?”

“That’s the problem, because I now know for sure we are not behind any of it. I investigated our company, checked everything related to transactions, transports, activities from people who worked for us, and Bery even questioned them with Lenorr’s help.  
We came up with nothing, not a trace. And yet, despite all of it, Silcore keeps being so damn persistent that they’re correct, that our company is causing them harm.”

“You believe they’re trying to frame you”, says Cierah. It’s a statement, not a question.

“Yeah, possibly, but we don’t know for sure. We also believe that a third party could be involved, which might be tricking Silcore somehow.”

Shariss rubs a hand over her cheeks in thought, her eyes moving around searchingly as she considers every aspect.  
“Do you believe there’s a chance they have a grudge against you?”

Risha shrugs.  
“I can’t see why or how. None in the leadership of our company have ever been involved with anyone from Silcore. We didn’t know anything more than the name before they started accusing us.”

They see how Jov raises her hand.  
“I’ve met and know Adrent from Silcore a little bit”, she adds. “Like I’ve told Risha and Bery, he never seemed like the type of guy to fuck people over for no reason. Besides, screwing with you guys doesn’t sound all that lucrative either.”

Cierah has leaned back in her seat and now folds her arms.  
“There could be potential other angles. Do you have old rivals that might be affiliated with Silcore?”

Risha opens her mouth to dismiss the claim, but she has to stop herself to shrug instead.  
“I mean…not that we know, but I can’t deny it completely. Anything is possible, I guess.”

“If there were, they must be pretty damn good pals”, Bery points out. “I don’t know any syndicate that would go so far as to create a fake conflict and stir up shit just for an ally or a friend. Like Jov said, it wouldn’t bring in a lot of creds and they might lose people in the process.”

With the overall description done, Shariss looks at Risha again.  
“Okay, so you want to find out the truth about Silcore. Anything in particular you want done?”

Risha nods eagerly.  
“Yes. The job is pretty straightforward – monitor, infiltrate and investigate Silcore as best as you can, in order to find out what’s really going on. We need the truth, as we’re not gonna locate it in our own activities.”

“Hmm, alright. Not that I disagree with this method, but…if they discover what we’re doing, we might piss them off.”

Risha emit a heavy sigh.  
“Yeah, I’m aware. This would obviously be suspicious to them, especially as we’ve denied claims of espionage in the past, but these are desperate times. Kemmet Vhir, whom I’m sure you’re both familiar with, has gotten involved and he wants this issue resolved without bloodshed.  
Problem is, he’s not really on our side, as he prefers to remain neutral. If Silcore somehow manages to convince him that we’re responsible, we will likely be thrown off Zodric, perhaps even gain a bunch of enemies in the process. We can’t afford that.”

Bery offers both agents a smile.  
“Besides, you guys are professionals, right? You can probably sneak in and get what you want without being seen.”

She’s obviously correct in that assumption, but the friction between them cannot be solved all too easily.  
Shariss turns to glare at Cierah for a moment, before she glances between Risha and the Captain.  
“Well, it’s obvious you need the best, so I’m in. Let me deal with it.”

Before they can respond, Cierah interjects.  
“Technically, I believe I am just as capable, possibly even more so due to my experiences.”

Shariss doesn’t really want to look at her, but she has to do so, whatever her preference is.  
“What, just because you’re Cipher Nine, you think you’re so much better than me?”

“Not precisely, but I do have resources that you can never obtain. They need my skills if they prefer to have the best.”

Shariss waves dismissively.  
“Yeah, whatever, traitor.”

While Cierah exhales through her nose, Bery suddenly looks very confused.  
“Uh, what’s that supposed to mean? She’s an imperial.”

“Hah! She never told you what she did, huh? Not a surprise, I guess.”

Not wanting to hide any potential issues, or let Shariss have the upper hand, Cierah directs herself to the Captain.  
“In the past, Imperial Intelligence assigned me to infiltrate a certain section of the SIS, one of its most covert teams. I acted as a double agent for several months. Some in that organization still holds a grudge, I suppose.”

“ _Grudge?”_ , Shariss asks, almost shouting. “You killed some of our best agents!”

“And with good reason.”

Once more, Shariss rises to her feet and Cierah does the same, albeit in a slower fashion. The mirialan continues to glare, clenching her hands.  
“Is it a fight you want, Cipher?”

“No, I do not. In fact, I have nothing against you personally, or the majority of the SIS. If you think I hate your organization or your other agents, ask Saber or Wheel. They are both still alive, aren’t they?”

While Shariss doesn’t seem to get any calmer, she has nothing good to respond with either. Whatever Cierah meant, it obviously got to her.  
“Alright, calm down”, Bery tells them. “Look, you both came here cause you wanted to help, right? Then _help us_. Work together to deal with this mess.”

Shariss doesn’t seem ready to compromise, and she shakes her head vehemently.  
“No! This is ridiculous! I’m not working with someone like her.”

Cierah seems much more cordial, at least from the outside, and puts her arms behind her back.  
“I, on other hand, would not mind. Could be refreshing, if she doesn’t get in my way.”

“Fuck you.”

Bery groans and puts her hands over her head.  
“Dammit, why do spies have to be so difficult? Jov, can’t you do something?”

Unfortunately, the hunter merely shrugs.  
“Sorry, no can do. This is out of my hands, really. I sleep with an agent, but I don’t know how to manipulate 'em. That’s their job.”

In the meantime, Risha views her friend skeptically.  
“I’m disappointed in you, Shariss.”

Shariss turns sharply to look at her.  
“Disappointed?! You told me to do detective work for you, not cooperate with an imperial agent!”

“Why does it matter?”

“It matters a great deal! They’re the enemy!”

“But ‘they’ don’t even exist anymore.”

That is a good point, and Shariss doesn’t actually have an adequate retort. Doesn’t make her trust Cierah anymore, though.  
She frowns, turns away and pouts.  
“Honestly, I should just leave now. This is banthashit.”

It’s obvious that she really would prefer to do so and tell them all to go fuck themselves, but…she also doesn’t want to give up. To surrender here is to admit that a former imperial spy is better than her, that Cierah is willing to do more in order to help a friend. In fact, not even a friend, but a friend of a girlfriend, while Shariss is technically one of Risha’s best friends.

There only seems to be one path to walk and Bery attempts the last measure she can think of.  
“Huh, okay. Well, if that’s how you really feel, go ahead.  
I mean, personally, I figured the two of you could work side by side, while competing, to see which one of you could perform the best and finish the task first. But hey, if you think you’re outmatched, I don’t blame ya for surrendering.”

It is a very obvious ploy, but one that might actually be effective. It makes both Jov and Risha smirk, as they quickly get what’s going on.  
To begin with, Shariss glares at Bery, but in such a way that it proves to the Captain that she hit a weak spot. The agent glances at Cierah, to view her reaction, but the cyborg doesn’t give much away. She’s either not affected or hides it well.  
After this is done, Shariss points at Bery.

“I want you to know that I realize what you’re doing…but I’m not gonna give up. The challenge is on.”

Bery grins.  
“Thought you might say that. SIS versus Imperial Intelligence – show us who’s the best.”

Soon after, Shariss takes a few determined steps up to Cierah and stops right in front of her. She looks right into the only organic eye for several moments before she says anything.  
“I will give you a frequency and tell you where we will meet up.”

Cierah shrugs.  
“If you insist. I shall try to go easy on you.”

Shariss smirks in a rather vicious way and taps the other agent’s chest.  
“You’re gonna wish you hadn’t said that.”


	21. Unleash the binding blade

Traversing imperial space yet again. As of late, Bery is starting to wonder how people feel about seeing the Hypertrail on these worlds, what their opinions might be. It’s not like she’s ashamed of her choices, but instead being rather curious of other people’s viewpoints. Are they suspicious of a twi’lek and former criminal travelling back and forth through their borders? Is there anger aimed at her for seemingly slipping into the embrace of a Dark Councilor? Or are they perhaps starting to see her as one of their own, an imperial asset in future endeavors?

It’s not like that really matters to any great extent, but it’s still fun to speculate, especially today. She and Lenorr were both called to Begeren, another major imperial world, as Acina wanted to meet them here in one of the bases belonging to the Sphere of Technology. Along the way, they encounter several guards and other personnel, some that view either or both of them with a little bit of skepticism. Almost makes Bery grin.

While she seems to have fun, Lenorr appears to be somewhat anxious, something Bery doesn’t even need to Force to notice. It’s written all over her face.  
“Something wrong, babe?”

“Did I say there was?”

Lenorr tries to keep her tone even, but Bery can easily hear the traces of uncertainty. It is audible in the slight strain of her voice, only barely perceivable for those who know what to search for. Well, there’s also the fact that the pureblood doesn’t directly look at her.  
“C’mon, I know that face. You’re worried about something.”

Finally, Lenorr glances in Bery’s direction, encountering the curiosity in the brown eyes. It makes her sigh.  
“…alright, fine. Maybe a little.”

“Why? I thought we discussed this already and decided we’re gonna give it a try.”

“No, it’s…” She exhales through her nose before she continues. “It’s not Acina. I just don’t like that Nidesa is here.”

Of course, her little sister. That’s actually part of the reason why they flew to this world.  
Acina had called them, invited them to Begeren for another private meeting, which sounded enjoyable enough, but there was more to it. Apparently, Nidesa had contacted the Dark Councilor and said she wanted to talk in person. This wasn’t to be done as an apprentice of Darth Marr, but as a ‘representative’ of House Evintok. It sounded very official when Acina described it over the holo, but Lenorr thought it was ridiculous.

“Why not? That’s why we’re here, right? Something about wanting to create ties between Acina and your family.”

Lenorr raises a hand to her forehead, rubbing it with her eyes closed.  
“You don’t understand. It doesn’t work like that.  
Not only is Nidesa the youngest member of our specific family within this House, but she is also not in any way prominent. There’s no way she can ‘represent’ us. It’s just a ploy to tease me, I know it.”  
She shakes her head and crosses her arms.  
“I hope she won’t stir up problems.”

She was reluctant about the idea of Bery meeting the rest of her family to begin with as well, which is why the first encounter with Nidesa was very accidental. It’s kinda cute in a way, how she’s always so worried about everything.  
Bery smirks and nudges an elbow into her girlfriend’s side.  
“Bah, you’re exaggerating. She won’t do anything like that; she’s not the type.”

“You say that, but you obviously don’t know my sister very well.”

“I dunno, she’s been good every time we’ve met.”

“Yes, because she knows how to behave, so that she can win your heart. Obviously, she succeeded.”

Well, it’s not like others haven’t manipulated her before, but this would be way more benevolent. She doesn’t mind being Nidesa’s friend.  
“But I thought you always said she was, like, the reasonable one.”

“That’s true, she is, but ‘reasonable’ doesn’t have to imply ‘not mischievous’.”

“Good point. Tia can be like that as well, when she’s in the mood.  
I still don’t think this is gonna be an issue, though. If anything, since our dear Councilor seems to be kinda playful at times, she and Nidesa will probably get along just fine.”

Lenorr rolls her eyes and turns to view Bery skeptically.  
“…I know, and that’s my exact concern.”

Bery blinks confusedly to begin with, before she starts to laugh.  
“Ooh! Now it makes sense. You think they’re gonna plot against ya, huh?”

“It seems everyone tries to find a way to tease me. It’s your favorite activity.”

This makes Bery giggle and she approaches her girlfriend, gets onto her toes and plants a quick kiss on Lenorr’s cheek.  
“Yep, ‘cause you’re cute.”

When they eventually arrive in the correct area of the base, just outside of a specific lab that they had been directed towards, the halls are empty. It is rather late at this time, so they hadn’t exactly expected an abundance of rowdy people, but the duo is both kinda surprised at how quiet it really is. On Dromund Kaas, the noise almost never stops, as they’ve constantly got some kind of operation going.

As they approach the entrance, Lenorr’s attention is drawn to it and she furrows her brow suspiciously.  
“Hmm, this is strange.”

“What?”

She points at the locked opening.  
“That’s a security door. Why would they have that activated while we were invited?”

Bery raises a hand and scratches her cheek in thought.  
“Hmm, good point. Maybe we were late, and they had to start some kind of test?”

“I don’t know…”  
Lenorr steps up to the door and knocks on it a few times, but there is no response. With an even deeper frown, she approaches one of the consoles at the side, checking the information on it and tries to see if there are any signals she can send to the interior, in hopes that people will realize that they’re here. Yet again, no reaction.  
“I don’t like this.”

Even Bery is starting to get worried now and she folds her arms.  
“They could be really busy, I guess, but this is kinda weird, yeah. Should we go back outside and contact someone?”

Lenorr doesn’t immediately respond, as she instead closes her eyes and tries to unseal her mind to their surroundings, focusing on the Force. When she opens them again, the tension is more blatant than ever, and she stares at the door.  
“Something isn’t right here, I can feel it.”

“You think Riela is in danger?”

“I don’t know. Possibly.”  
She faces Bery again, her conviction growing.  
“We should get inside.”

“Uh, okay. How?”

“Using the Force on this thing will take too long.”

Without warning, she suddenly draws her lightsaber and ignites it immediately. Bery flinches somewhat.  
“Whoa. Uh, you sure that’s wise?”

“It is, if we want to break in. Be ready for anything.”

There are several levels of security doors, some more resistant to lightsabers than others. This one doesn’t appear to be, as it is only an initial one, crafted as a precaution against blaster fire at most. Lenorr shoves her weapon into its center and infuses the lightsaber with the Force, beginning to carve a circle that will create a path for them to enter.  
In the meantime, Bery waits a few steps back with a hand on her weapon, just in case.

It takes a while to push through all this metal, but Lenorr’s passions fuel her work, enhancing the lightsaber’s piercing capabilities and eventually creates a full circle, large enough for them to use.  
When she’s satisfied, she gets into position in front of it and alters the nature of her Force usage, to instead push the big chunk of metal into the room on the other side. Within, both of them notice that it’s rather dark.

She intends to enter, but is prevented from proceeding. Just before she reaches the makeshift opening, a person appears on the other side, holding a vibrosword. Whomever it is, they act before Lenorr is even ready and tries to stab her chest.  
Fortunately, Bery remained vigilant after Lenorr’s warning, prepared for a potential assault and lifts her gun before the attacker has gotten close. She puts a blaster bolt straight into their chest and they fly backwards.

“Phew”, Bery emits, still pointing the gun at the hole. “That was fucking close.”

Lenorr looks somewhat unnerved, but she still glances at girlfriend.  
“Thanks.”  
She quickly redirects her attention and pokes her head through, to look at the now dead person on the floor. It is someone wearing a mask and only light armor in grey and red colors, which is why it didn’t block Bery’s highly destructive gun.  
“I don’t recognize this outfit at all. Certainly not the Dark Honor Guard or any official imperial unit.”

It’s pretty clear to them now that Acina is in danger, so they do not linger out here for long. Both of them go through the entrance and practically start running immediately.  
Already in the initial corridors, they see more disturbing elements – dead members of Acina’s department, all of them cut down. Some have pools of blood beneath them, others have what appears to be burn marks, signs of lightsaber or blaster involvement.

They keep running, heading straight for the lab at the far side of this section, and despite the suppressed sound in here, they can hear the distant noise of combat. Outside this room lies more dead bodies, imperial soldiers likely working under Acina.  
Lenorr doesn’t wait for the double doors to open and instead swings her lightsaber, creating a path for them.

Past this entrance, they see a rather large room, an open space filled with lots of machines, benches and other heavy equipment, likely some type of testing facility. Among all the objects, they also spot twelve people; ten of them wear similar gear as the person they just killed by the security door, with most wielding vibroswords, but a few hold lightsabers too.  
The focus of the duo is drawn to two other people – Acina and Nidesa. The young Evintok sister has clear wounds on her arms and left cheek, although still manages to hold both of her lightsabers. Acina, on the other hand, not only has pretty nasty injuries on her left arm and leg, visible through the torn robes, but also clutches her abdomen and gasps for air, due to the pain. Her right hand still wields her own weapon.

The intruders have practically surrounded the duo, but they turn to view the newcomers. Only one of them isn’t wearing a mask – a male pureblood, likely in his 20s, with light red skin, long brown hair in a ponytail and red eyes. He frowns at both of the people at the door.  
Nidesa views them both with shock and relief.  
“Lenorr!”

Acina exhales heavily.  
“Captain…you don’t know how glad I am to see you two.”

The pureblood sneers.  
“Hmph. You came sooner than expected. Unfortunate.”

The energy levels around Lenorr is growing now and she clenches her hands, pulling forth rage from within.  
“What the hell is going on here?!”

“Watch out, Lenorr”, Nidesa warns her. “They’re members of the Red Legion. Their squad leader is this man, Lord Darelsh, former apprentice of Darth Rictus.”

Bery is obviously shocked by the whole scene, but she also appears confused at the names.  
“…the what?”

Lenorr has shifted her gaze towards Darelsh. Part of her wants to tear him apart, but she can’t just jump into combat when she might endanger the two women she wants to protect.  
“Red Legion – a group of assassins that belong to the Sphere of Mysteries. Rictus, their leader, was one of those who betrayed the Empire.”

“Oh. Right. Seems they went with him then.”

Darelsh is using dual lightsabers, much like Nidesa, and he spins them around in his hands as he surveys their new opponents. His tone of voice is surprisingly calm.  
“It’s a pity that you found us now. I suppose our mission perimeters will have to change.”

“What mission?!”, Lenorr yells at him.

“Legion – kill them.”

The assassins begin to turn around, but there is still a brief moment to talk. Bery has checked the room and now whispers to Lenorr.  
“Babe. Close your eyes.”

As she says it, Lenorr is sizing up their potential attackers, and clearly has no intention to stop watching them.  
“…what?”

“Just do it. Trust me.”

Well, it’s not like Lenorr has any choice. If she doesn’t listen, Bery will probably act in whatever chaotic way she had prepared anyhow, so it’s best to follow the advice.  
She shuts her eyes and two seconds later, Bery grabs one of her guns, drawing it so quickly that it’s almost hard to follow and aims it upwards. She blasts one of the lamps in the roof and it explodes, giving off a sharp and temporarily blinding light.

Everyone except these two get hit by the sharp flash and have to take a few moments to recover. While this happens, Lenorr leaps through the air with the aid of the Force, towards those on the right side and cuts one down immediately in a swift and efficient manner. At the same time, Bery redirects her gun and blasts another on the left before any of them have a chance to react, reducing the number of their enemies.

The Captain tries to follow this attack up with a few more, but one of the Sith on this side blocks each of the shots. After it is done, this same Sith, along with one other person, starts running for her position. Bery widens her eyes.  
“Uh oh.”

As she has no wish to face a lightsaber head-on, Bery flees from this room, running to the corridors they passed through earlier. She manages to dodge one slash from the Sith leaping at her, before she disappears. Within the testing facility, Lenorr ends up in a fight with two of the survivors, as does Nidesa and Acina, which means they can’t do much to help the Captain. She’ll have to figure out some way how to tackle these two on her own.

Well, as her first plan seemed to work so well, she figures it might be worth it to try a second time. While she runs, she fumbles around her belt and grabs onto a flash grenade. She puts a hand on the activation button and prepares it, knowing it won’t go off until she lets go. Thankfully, her attackers are still several steps back, giving her a chance to prepare the maneuver.  
She jumps in behind a corner and pushes herself against the wall. Once they’ve almost reached her, she drops it on the ground and covers her eyes. Obviously, they are not swift enough to do the same.

The grenade explodes no more than a second after its activation and stuns Bery’s attackers. This gives the Captain the upper hand temporarily, who aims her weapons at them and guns down at least one, but sadly isn’t swift enough to take down both. The Sith barely survived by blocking the shots and she does not seem particularly happy.  
Lifting her hand, the Sith shoves Bery backwards, knocking her into the far wall with such speed that she drops her gun and falls to the ground in a messy heap. The impact was so effective that the Captain is momentarily stunned because of the damage to her head, giving the Sith a perfect opportunity to cut her down.

Fortunately, Bery does not fight alone. Nidesa has rushed to this location as quickly as she possibly could, hoping to aid her sister’s beloved. The other Sith does not see her and Nidesa tosses her lightsaber straight towards the other woman. The throw is surprisingly accurate and this Sith only has a second to turn and watch her demise coming, before it penetrates her abdomen. With the weapon left in her body, she emits a pained groan and then sinks to the floor.

Bery clutches her head and tries to shake it in order to clear her mind.  
“Stars, that was close. Thanks kid!”

“No problem! Now help me out!”

From the same entrance as before, two more attackers had been hunting the pureblood and now that they’ve caught up with her, they resume the battle. Nidesa raises her only lightsaber and desperately parries the swings from another Sith and vibrosword-wielding warrior combo.  
After fetching her pistol, Bery rushes up to the dead Sith and grabs onto the hilt of the still activated lightsaber that lingers in the body. She doesn’t even have to pull hard in order to extract it.

“Nidesa, catch!”  
Bery begins by firing at their opponents, to give them something to think about and open a gap for the pureblood to seize her other weapon through the air. Once she’s fully equipped the duo turns their attacks towards their foes.

In the other room, there are four more assassins left, two of them being Sith. One of those is Lord Darelsh.  
While one Sith and vibrosword-wielding ally fight Lenorr, Darelsh and his assistant attempt to take care of Acina. Of course, one can’t simply dispose of a Dark Councilor with ease, but it’s clear that she has been seriously injured. This likely happened when she and Nidesa had to deal with a dozen attackers practically on their own. This seems like an ambush, so the imperial soldiers stationed in the vicinity probably didn’t stand a chance.

The odds are somewhat more even now and Acina does her best to keep the attackers at bay, as she is still on the defensive. She unleashes streams of lighting towards Darelsh, who has to use his lightsabers to deflect the surging power coming at him. At the same time, Acina employs her own lightsaber to parry every strike by the vibrosword from the other warrior, but this is not an easy task. Every heavy assault strains her wound further. Darelsh tries to use this to his advantage.

The tactics from the Red Legion squad leader keeps alternating. He apparently hopes to either use himself to distract her while his subordinate goes for swift attacks on the side that she was injured, to drain more energy and blood, or they go for the opposite maneuver, where Darelsh is the aggressor.  
For every few seconds that passes by, Acina seems to breathe heavier and her face is starting to look unnervingly pale.

Simultaneously, Lenorr’s fight is not particularly easy for her opponents. She is clearly stronger than both of them and all they can do is just barely survive her rage. Then again, their plan isn’t really to kill her, but to hold her back long enough for Darelsh to kill Acina.  
Lenorr constantly glances in the Councilor’s direction and occasionally tries to shove the duo away in order to come to Acina’s aid, but they are persistent, refusing to leave her alone. One of them is still a fairly talented Sith and will not be ignored.

This is around the time an idea pops into Acina’s mind. Hoping to cause some chaos, she makes a desperate move – utilizing the Force to shove her own assailants away, she uses a large portion of her remaining strength to destroy one of Lenorr’s opponents. The lightning flies through the air, penetrating the non-Sith and devours their body, practically killing them instantly.  
Unfortunately, for this to succeed, she had to temporarily lower her guard. Darelsh sees this as an opportunity to create a desperate attack of his own. He infuses his legs with the Force, charging forward like an arrow, and slashes widely.

His move is a success, as the tip of his lightsaber pierces Acina’s side, carving a critical path in her body. It hits only slightly above where she received the last one.  
The Councilor gasps in pain and her eyes shoot open. She clutches the wound, stumbles forward and then falls ungracefully to the ground. Lenorr sees it happen and views the aftermath in shock.  
“Riela!”, she shouts, the wrath from within starting to take over.

As Darelsh turns around to view his only standing enemy, both him and the other two remaining assailants can all see how a red aura of power materializes around Lenorr, as the Force manifests physically. She practically roars at them and before they have a chance to do anything to the Councilor, they all have to hold off an enraged pureblood, as she lashes out at them like a raging storm.

In the hallway outside, Bery and Nidesa have tried their best to fight one-on-one against their attackers – the Captain focused on the one with the vibrosword, while Nidesa had to contend with the Sith. As they are positioned as prey, however, their enemies sometimes switch angle, forcing either of them to deal with a different weapon coming at them. Their foes are trained assassins, certainly with more experience than either of these two women, which means the duo has to fend off a variety of tricks.

In the last stage of the battle, they practically end up with their backs pushed up against each other. As Nidesa parries every blow from the vibrosword, Bery tries to unleash a wave of blaster bolts on the Sith, but he blocks every single one, deflecting them to the side and gradually closes the distance. It seems inevitable that he will reach her.  
When the Sith is no more than a few steps away, Bery suddenly has to recharge her weapons, which comes as a surprise to them both. He charges towards her, trying to cut her down with his lightsaber, but before he can succeed, Nidesa attempts a desperate move that she hopes will work.

While Nidesa may not see the other Sith, she can sense him coming. She blocks the vibrosword of the foe in front of her with one lightsaber and then directs the other behind her - over Bery - parrying the Sith’s attack at the last second. It’s astonishingly efficient and impressive that she managed to coordinate her defenses so accurately, even with Bery in the way, and the Captain looks with widened eyes on the weapons clashing in front of her.

“…Captain”, Nidesa says through gritted teeth, her voice strained. This maneuver clearly won’t last for long.

Bery blinks to begin with, before she remembers what she should do.  
“Right, sorry.”  
With the pistol recharged, Bery simply lowers it and blasts the exposed Sith in the lower regions of his body. He gasps under his mask, before he stumbles backwards and collapses. Bery displays an interesting combination of a smirk and a grimace.  
“Ooh, shit. Right in the crotch.”

Before he has a chance to consider getting back up, Bery shoots him in the head.  
At the same time, Nidesa tired herself out by trying to defend the Captain and she does not have enough strength to hold off the flurry of attacks from the remaining assassin. She gets cut over her abdomen and drops to one knee.  
Thankfully, Bery is still nearby and swirls around, putting a few shots right into his side. Despite her injuries, Nidesa summons enough strength to leap to her feet and simply stabs her weapon into his chest, leaving the lightsaber where it impaled him.

With all of their foes dead, Bery faces the younger woman, who’s now out of breath.  
“You okay?”

“No”, she says in somewhat raspy voice, “but we can’t stop. Lenorr may need our-“

That’s when they hear the older Evintok sister shouting Acina’s name from the other room. With no other choice than to act, Bery helps Nidesa up and they run back to the fight.  
Upon entry, they’re exposed to a rather harrowing sight – on the floor lies Acina’s unmoving form, her lightsaber no longer in her hand. Lenorr is fighting against three adversaries on her own, but not for herself. She has to defend the Councilor at all costs.

Luckily, this pisses Bery off as well. As Nidesa pulls forth the last vestiges of her stamina, they attack one of the Sith in unison. Their ambush is both effective and deadly, which destroys this one in a matter of seconds, from a mix of several blaster rounds and lightsaber slashes.  
Their attack allows Lenorr to cut down the last non-Sith and then focus her full fury on Darelsh, showing him the true strength of a powerful pureblood. He may be a strong and trained assassin, but he can apparently not fully match her, and she does not show him mercy.

She keeps hammering his defenses, giving him no room to breathe and drives him backwards quicker than he would like, forcing him to make mistakes. He may be pretty swift and cunning, but the raw power behind her swings are too much. Eventually, she smashes one of his lightsabers away, weakening him further. He tries to compensate with his other weapon, but it’s not enough. She doesn’t need to cut away the second, as she finds a gap in his stance and grabs onto his wrist, breaking it with a sharp twist, which forces him to drop the blade anyhow.

Being completely exposed, Lenorr cuts a wide slash straight across his chest to injure him; not just for what he has done, but to stop him from potentially trying to run.  
This is clearly an overwhelming amount of damage and he is about to fall, but is captured by Lenorr through the Force. She telekinetically grabs his body, thrusts him into the closest wall and holds him there.

As the energy around him starts to close in on his neck, Lenorr slowly approaches his position, her hand still stretched out towards him.  
“I could have shown mercy to a foe I respect, but you…I will not tolerate you.”

“Wait”, he says with a strained voice. “I can give you…useful-“

She does not give him a chance to finish his plea and she is not interested in waiting until there is no more air in his lungs. Instead, she shoots the lightsaber forward and impales his chest. He does not survive the end result.  
After it is over, she is panting heavily, the adrenaline and anger still permeating her entire mind, but it dissipates when she hears a particular voice.

“Lenorr, don’t just stand there! We need a freaking doctor, asap!”

The pureblood turns to face her comrades, seeing Bery on the ground next to Acina, while Nidesa is in the middle of the room, just barely being able to stay on her knees. Her little sister looks particularly tired and weakened.  
“I…I will try my best to find what you need”, says the apprentice through the hefty gasps. “Let me just-“

“No”, Lenorr tells her. “Sit down and rest, right now. I will find a medic.”

Even if Lenorr runs as quickly as she can, Bery isn’t sure that Acina will last and therefore quickly looks around. On one of the walls, she sees a box with the sign of medical supplies – a kolto pack. She grabs it and quickly rushes back to the human. It won’t save Acina, but might at least let her survive a little longer.  
She puts a hand on the motionless Councilor’s back, seeing only weak signs of breathing.

“Just hang on, Riela. Please.”


	22. First blast

The situation and politics on Port Zodric can often be erratic and tense, which is almost an unavoidable result, due to the type of people it includes. Despite the overt presence of mistrust, though, the purpose that anyone comes here for is usually to conduct business, which means they have to be willing to open up. This can take a while and isn’t always unchanging, but most of them at least do their best to try.

The company that Risha helped start is one of those organizations that not only tries to avoid violent methods – mostly due to their small size – but also attempts to make as many friends as possible. Can’t survive if you don’t have allies.  
Right now, she’s wandering through the station after having completed a meeting in person with another local group, something she is obviously quite pleased with. Success is always satisfying.

Usually, Risha wouldn’t take this route without some kind of reassuring element to increase her security, but she’s not completely alone at this time. Instead, she has Akaavi walking next to her.  
Out of all those who have called themselves members of Bery’s crew, Risha would definitely say that she is most unsure about the mandalorian. She didn’t like Corso very much, she finds Bowdaar strange, she isn’t sure why Bery took Guss in at all and even though they’ve worked out their differences now, there was quite a bit of hostility between her and Lenorr to begin with.

With Akaavi, though, it’s almost on a whole different level. They have different perspectives on life, separate ideals and goals, and these concepts have clashed on numerous occasions. At one point in the past, she almost figured that Akaavi might try to shoot her, but then heard from Bery how the mandalorian apparently suspected that Risha would do the same.

It’s strange, but for some reason, this has sort of worked in their favor and they are pretty decent when they cooperate. Despite all the disagreements and quarrels, a certain sense of respect has grown between them, which is why they manage to spend time together at all. They may not like each other, but they realize that they need one another.  
Naturally, they wouldn’t acknowledge this fact, as that would break the illusion of their distaste. Instead, the excuse is made that they both wish to work with Bery, which is why they occasionally assist each other with various tasks.

Due to the unease, there tends to be much less chatter when they’re together, which can be both enjoyable and discomforting, depending on the circumstances.  
At this time, Risha is checking her datapad, reading various files and examining the latest mails she has received. Among those objects, she can spot a few missed calls from Sumalee, which seems a bit strange. Risha figures she’ll have to call back later and see what’s going on.  
Simultaneously, Akaavi keeps her eyes on the road, with her arms folded. Obviously, she’s wearing armor as usual, while Risha has opted for magenta suit and loose black skirt combo. The mandalorian armor is a pretty common sight regarding Akaavi, but it also helps to discourage others from approaching.

Today is apparently an unusual day, as the one who chooses to break their silence is Akaavi.  
“I will never understand how you and the Captain manage to endure these types of conditions”, she says in a fairly calm tone.

Risha raises a confused expression in Akaavi’s direction. It has been quiet for a few minutes now, so she had expected this would continue until the end of their journey.  
“Conditions?”

“The type of meeting we were just at.”

It does happen that Akaavi makes comments about the people they encounter or work with, usually with dismissive intentions. Risha is pretty used to it by now.  
“Oh, hah. Well, can’t say that Bery is particularly enthralled by them either. That’s why she asks me to do it.”

The mandalorian glances at her with skeptical eyes.  
“Why do you go through them at all? These people are loathsome creatures, beneath us.”

An amusing glint enters Risha’s gaze and her lips curl somewhat.  
“Even beneath me, huh?”

Akaavi pauses to stare at the human for a moment, before she snorts.  
“As much as it surprises me to say it, yes.”

Risha can’t hold back the smirk that she now displays. It’s fun when Akaavi doesn’t actually wish to fight her, or even go so far as to offer reluctant praise.  
“It’s only because I know what to do. I can traverse these types of situations and territories with ease, and it’s what I’m good at. Just like you’re a talented hunter, I thrive in these scenarios, dealing with the scum of the galaxy.”

Akaavi shakes her head.  
“Just because you know how to do something, doesn’t mean you should. You’re a smart woman and could find much better work.”

Hold on, was that actual praise and not just a half-insult? This must be a special day somehow, but Risha doesn’t know what the occasion could be.  
“Perhaps, but it earns us the credits that we need. Gotta do everything for survival, don’t you agree?”

“Hmm, I wonder. I admit that you’ve got a point and I won’t claim that I’m better at giving us the resources that we require, but I also question if it’s worth it.”

“Why wouldn’t it be?”

When Akaavi faces her again, there’s a slight frown on the zabrak’s brow.  
“You saw what that man you met was like, didn’t you? He was leering at you.”

Risha shrugs.  
“Oh, I was very aware. It’s annoying when it happens, but at least it kept him distracted.”

The previous expression on the mandalorian now grows even further.  
“You shouldn’t have to endure such behavior. You’re an important member of our clan.”  
She closes her eyes momentarily.  
“…crew, I mean.”

If Risha would craft a list of rare occasions in her life, then seeing Akaavi be worried for her has to be pretty close to the top. It has happened a few times, mostly in battle, but she could probably count them on the fingers of one hand.  
She raises her left hand now and places it on Akaavi’s arm.  
“Concerned for my wellbeing, Spar? That’s sweet.”

Akaavi turns her head away slightly, possibly out of embarrassment.  
“We work together. I wouldn’t want to go through that type of situation, so you shouldn’t either. Among my people, clan members look out for each other, even if we don’t always like them.”

A very apt way to describe their relationship as well. Risha kinda likes it.  
“Thanks. Hope you know I’d return the favor.”

Returning to the office is usually such a relief, but after this little conversation, perhaps Risha will actually feel a little sad that the journey had to end. Maybe they should have a drink in her office later.  
Unfortunately, any such thoughts have to be postponed. They’re on the path towards the elevator which will take them to the level of Zodric where Risha’s office is, but as they go around the next corner, Akaavi grows tense. Risha notices this development almost instantly.

“What’s wrong?”

Gradually, Akaavi slows her pace down and another scowl appears on her face.  
“We’re being followed.”

Not exactly the type of statement she had expected out of nowhere, but Akaavi usually knows what she’s doing, so Risha decreases her speed accordingly.  
“How can you tell?”

Even if Risha isn’t sure, Akaavi can sense that something is about to occur. Slight vibrations in the ground, the stirring noise of boots and the flicker of movements in the corner of her eyes, are all dead giveaways. It’s unmistakable.  
She moves her hand, getting ready to grab her weapon.  
“Trust me.”

Obviously, she’s right. Why wouldn’t she be? If there’s anyone who has senses attuned to the clues of threats and combat, it is Akaavi, who is rivalled only be Lenorr.  
Suddenly, from several directions, the duo finds themselves approached by at least a dozen different people. This specific section of the promenade does not have all too many denizens walking in it and the elevator they need to use is still not within line of sight. This corridor is like an alleyway, an intermediate path. All of it indicates that these people likely don’t have friendly intentions.

When Risha surveys them, she spots a variety of species among them as well, but most look like rough types; armed, armored and ready for a fight. Soon enough, another individual separates himself from the rest of the crowd, coming into a position in front of them. The chalk-white skin, bald head, black facial tattoos and cybernetic pieces – particularly the artificial green eyes – are all very familiar. She has met him before.

Risha frowns and folds her arms.  
“Mister Adrent.”

The rattataki stops not too far from them and corrects his brown suit.  
“Drayen”, he says in a somewhat raspy voice. “We need to talk.”

As they become surrounded, Risha is now reminded of how much she hates being trapped. If it’s truly a fight they want, she isn’t sure how that will end.  
“Do we now? Interesting choice of location to schedule an appointment. And it seems you brought a lot of company to make the request too.”

He does not look amused when he stares into her eyes; he never does.  
“Figured you wouldn’t come willingly, so I brought these people as leverage.”

Neither of the two women are unarmed, so they prepare themselves, despite clearly being outnumbered. The tension is as blatant on them as it is on their foes.  
“You can’t seriously expect me to go along with this.”

“I do, unless you wanna deal with a nasty situation. Come with us, Drayen - I won’t ask this nicely again.”

His definition of ‘nice’ is quite peculiar, but Risha has faced his type before.  
“I don’t respond well to threats, mister Adrent.”

He narrows his eyes and lowers the tone of his voice.  
“And I don’t take kindly to thieves.”

She kinda knew that a confrontation would at some point be inevitable, hence always trying to bring some kind of security measures when walking in public, but she didn’t think he would be this bold. Doesn’t he realize what happens if they fight here?  
“This is ludicrous. I’ve told you, time and again, that we are not responsible! Intimidating us won’t change that fact.”

“I don’t tend to believe in banthashit, Drayen. Either you come with us in a friendly manner, or I’ll have to insist.”

At this point, Akaavi’s hand is already gripping the hilt of her techstaff and she glances at Risha.  
“Don’t listen to him. Going with them would be stupid.”

“I agree”, Risha has no qualms admitting. “I’m not going to let you take me into some dark room to be interrogated. If you want a prisoner, look elsewhere.”

Adrent snorts derisively and shakes his head in a disappointed fashion.  
“Fine, have it your way.” He looks at his troops instead. “Subdue her, but keep her alive – we need her. I don’t care about the mando, so do what you wish with that one.”

The whole group suddenly draws their weapons and the two women follows the same pattern. They’re used to being outnumbered, so they don’t back down too easily, even if this situation isn’t look promising.  
Akaavi doesn’t wait until she has fully unsheathed her staff to attack, though. Instead, she charges straight into combat and tackles the closest man, punching him in the face shortly after. Due to the strength of the act and the sturdiness of the armor, he topples to the floor.

At the same time, someone comes up behind Risha and tries to grab onto her arm, hoping to prevent her from entering this fight. She tries to struggle, but this person is stronger than her, so squirming won’t help. Luckily, she has managed to unholster her pistol and while they try to seize her completely, the gun is pointed down. It’s a fairly easy maneuver to simply aim it slightly to the side and pull the trigger, blasting them in the foot, which frees her. Sounds of a gun going off echoes through the corridors of the station.

The duo provides quite fierce opposition for their attackers, with Akaavi brawling anyone that tries to approach her and blocking the occasional strike with her staff. Risha manages to put at least one more shot in another foe, but that’s where the firefight ends. Shortly after one falls, another tackles her into a wall and restricts her shooting capabilities by holding the arm down. She isn’t an expert in physical combat and when they pile up on her, her options are rather limited.  
This is not an easy battle and they are severely outnumbered.

In spite of a good start to the fight, the next stage is more difficult. Risha is punched at least twice – once in her side, which makes her lose her breath, and the second time with a staggering blow to the head. She only remains standing due to stumbling into the wall once more.  
Akaavi’s fight is even more unfair, as their enemies ambush her from every angle, using weapons rather than their fists. The mandalorian is not easy prey and she can parry a lot of strikes, even deliver counterattacks, but whoever these warriors are, they are well-trained and cunning. When she isn’t looking, she feels a sharp sting in her abdomen, as someone sneaks up behind her and stabs her with a vibrodagger. This weakens her even further.

Their struggles are drifting towards a darker conclusion, where the syndicate troops are clearly trying to corner Akaavi and finish her, while Risha is being disarmed and subdued, hoping to drag her all the way into Silcore’s awaiting grasp. At this point, there isn’t much the mandalorian can do to stop it. Risha is becoming quite overwhelmed too and can only see how Akaavi’s form disappears in the distance.  
That is when everything changes.

“Hey, you filthy thugs! Let go of her, right now!”

Risha can’t see where the voice comes from, but it is familiar. She’s not sure if that’s comforting at first, until it ends up saving her.  
Two of those who hold onto her wrists suddenly find themselves being lifted off their feet and flung backwards into the nearest wall, by an invisible force. They don’t seemingly stand a chance to prevent it from happening.

A few others react to it and turn around to see what’s going on. That’s when both they and Risha see how a frowning woman comes running, dressed in a light black armor, with a beige coat surrounding her. The white and dark grey montrals is a comforting sight, as is the fierce expression that this togruta displays for her enemies.  
“Sumalee!”, Risha calls out in surprise. “Thank the stars you’re here!”

Not wanting to draw all too much attention from the general populace, the Jedi proceeds without using her lightsaber. Utilizing the Force, she leaps through the air in an unnaturally swift fashion, punching the first attacker in the face and knocking her backwards, before swirling around and ending up in front of the other. Sumalee ducks beneath the attempted countermeasure, before she raises her leg and kicks him in the chest, dropping him to the floor and freeing Risha from his grip.  
While they’re on the ground, Risha takes this opportunity to kick the one that punched her earlier, right in the gut.

The other side of the fight hasn’t really noticed the latest developments, but they do when Sumalee decides to help the mandalorian. She stretches her hand out and sends a wave of energy against them, briefly pushing them backwards and creating a gap for Akaavi. The zabrak doesn’t let her injuries slow her down and easily takes advantage of this assistance. Compared to the Jedi, she has no intension of showing mercy either.  
Akaavi swings her staff around, disarming one and weakening two of the others. Shortly after one falls, she stomps on their chest and furiously crushes their head with her weapon.

Some of those who were knocked down by Sumalee are slowly trying to get back up, drawing their blasters in the process. With Risha being somewhat wobbly, the Jedi takes one of her arms and guides her into the alleyway again, so that they can take cover.  
Risha is panting due to her previous efforts and looks at Sumalee, while gently caressing her cheek.  
“You don’t know how glad I am to see your pretty face, but what are you doing here?”

Sumalee pokes her head out for a moment to look past the corner, but retreats when blaster bolts fly her way. She meets Risha’s eyes again.  
“I got a hint from the Force. I’ll tell you more later.”

Risha nods and then takes a step forward to fire a volley of shots after the thugs, forcing them to find shelter.  
In the middle of all this chaos, she spots something in the corner of her eyes – Adrent has apparently noticed that they can’t win this fight and he’s leaving.  
“Oh, that slimy little worm. Akaavi! Adrent is trying to escape!”

Akaavi grits her teeth as she parries another two vibroswords.  
“I’m in the middle of something here!”  
She deflects one of them, kicks the other person in the groin and then headbutts the weakened foe.

Seeing as how she won’t be of any help, Risha tries to chase after him. Sumalee widens her eyes when her girlfriend suddenly runs out in the open.  
“Risha, wait!”

“I’m not gonna let him get away!”, she responds as she sprints. She desperately tries to fire at him, but he’s both quick and has too much distance from her already. All the shots miss.

When he disappears behind another corner, they hear him yell something.  
“Take care of my pursuers!”

It’s unclear whether Risha heard it or not, but Sumalee doesn’t wish to take chances.  
“Look out!”, she tells the human and grabs her arm, dragging her in behind another wall. This is a rather fortunate choice, as she just barely pulls Risha out of danger when half a dozen people with guns appear, covering Adrent’s escape.  
“We can’t stay here, Risha! We have to retreat.”

Risha grits her teeth as a whole lot of shots hammer the path that leads to Adrent, blocking any chance for her to reach him. For now, she’s likely going to have to surrender to Sumalee’s wisdom.  
“Alright, fine. Let’s go pick up Akaavi.”

Instead of heading out into the open, where the guns are waiting, they go deeper into this corridor and approach the other side of the alley where they were attacked.  
When they arrive, the fight has ended, but it seems Akaavi isn’t doing very well. She’s leaning against a wall, breathing heavily and clutching a part of her abdomen. Drops of blood run down over her armor.  
Risha comes closer and touches her arm.  
“Shit. You’re injured.”

Akaavi glares at Risha and opens her mouth to answer, but has to inhale sharply to begin with.  
“I’m fine”, she says, in a strained voice.

Risha frowns at her and grips the arm even harder.  
“I’m not buying your lies, Spar. C’mon, you’re coming with us.”

Sumalee is currently surveying their surroundings, keeping a hand on the hilt of her lightsaber, just in case. In the distance, they can hear the occasional shouts, likely the inhabitants being startled by what’s happening.  
“Got any plans for where to go?”

“Yeah, my office. Let’s get to the elevator and hunker down upstairs. Kemmet is going to hear of this and he will have questions.”  
She also stares somewhat skeptically at Sumalee.  
“Plus, I think I have some of my own for you.”

Sumalee snorts amusedly and shrugs.  
“Don’t worry, I’ll do my best to answer everything I can, but not before you’re safe.”


	23. Through the storm's rampage

As her bodily processes restart, her lungs absorb the increased incoming air and her eyes slowly attempt to open, she gets a pretty immediate reaction – damn, it hurts. Sure, the light does affect her, as does the dryness within her throat and the stiffness of her body, but other sensations further down make it clear that not everything is completely fine. This is more than a simple awakening from a long night of drinking or heavy workload.

It’s hard for Acina to determine exactly when or where she is, but one element that is completely certain is that she’s alive. To begin with, she’s not entirely sure why she would’ve doubted that fact and her memories only offer brief glimpses of past events.  
She instinctively emits a groan, as her entire existence is filled with exhaustion and pain ripples through every segment of her.

While she tries to blink the blurriness away with increased desperation, she reaches out with her hands, to get a sense of what’s going on. She can assume that she’s on a bed, based on the soft material both above and below her, and she’s definitely not wearing armor anymore. When she gets to one section of her body - the abdomen - she grits her teeth due to a stinging sensation, worse than anywhere else thus far. Has to be an injury, as nothing else would make her react this way. What has happened to her? Why is she-

“Be careful”, she suddenly hears a fairly deep voice saying. “I suggest not moving too much right now. Don’t worry, you’re safe.”

Someone trying to tell her what to do? Not happening. She’s a Dark Councilor, a Sith of some renown. If something is threatening her, it’s up to her to figure how to solve it. This is why she resists any ideas of staying wherever she is.  
As some of her sight returns, she gains the knowledge that she’s alone except for one figure nearby. She looks at this being and then tries to sit up.

When she struggles, he sighs and approaches her, puts a hand on her shoulder and gently pushes her back down. She’s too weak to be a challenge.  
“It’s also my recommendation that you remain in bed. You won’t get any better by stumbling across the floor. You are the Councilor, of course, but my medical expertise tells me that it’s not wise.”

Once her eyes regain their focus, she spots the man standing above her, seeing the red skin, the black dreadlocks, the spurs and tendrils over several sections of his face and the orange eyes – a pureblood.  
“Who…who are you?”, she asks weakly. She can hear how raspy her voice sounds.

He inclines his head slightly before he speaks.  
“Aurosh Evintok, my lord, from the Sphere of Biotic Science. A certain troublesome apprentice asked me to come.”

The slight humor in his voice ignites recognition in Acina’s gaze and she nods slowly.  
“Ah, the older brother of Lenorr and Nidesa.”

“Indeed. They apparently required medical expertise and as I am considered one of the best when it comes to intermingling such knowledge with Sith alchemy, they called for me. Might be that they trusted a family member more too, I suppose.”

Acina takes a deep breath and lets herself slide into a more comfortable position. She tries to swallow, but it’s difficult. Her mouth is so dry that it almost hurts, due to her weakened state.  
“Is there any…water?”

Aurosh turns around and approaches a sink with a tap, where he can find a few plastic mugs. He pours some water into one and then moves to offer it to her.  
“You’ve been to a kolto tank and we have conducted a blood transfusion into your body, but a certain dryness is to be expected after lying here for a while.”

She reaches out with her hand and manages to take the mug, but Aurosh still helps her hold it from underneath.  
“Thank you”, she says after he puts it down on the table next to her bed.  
“Do I also have you to thank for my life?”

He shakes his head.  
“Not quite. I have done a lot to improve your condition, such as reduce the scarring and your recovery period, but it was others who performed the initial process. I believe it’s all in the file within our databanks.”

Acina views him with a bit of interest and nods slowly.  
“I’m glad to hear that you’re honest about it.”

Aurosh merely shrugs.  
“I don’t see why I would lie. I have proved myself to the Empire and my superiors already know what I’m capable of. I’m simply satisfied that I could be involved at all, my lord.”

Now that she has received enough initial information about her own circumstances, she needs more answers of other aspects.  
“What’s the situation with the others? Did they…?”

“Survive? Of course. Nidesa is still recovering after what she endured during the fight, but Lenorr and Captain Shodem were mostly unharmed. All of the assassins that attacked you are dead, apparently.  
Other than that, I don’t know much. My sister and her partner are nearby, likely waiting outside or visiting Nidesa.”

“Hmm. May I see them?”

His expression had appeared pretty neutral and professional up until the question arrives, which is when he becomes somewhat skeptical.  
“Technically, I suppose you could, but I would suggest waiting until-“

He doesn’t get to finish his sentence, as the door to the room suddenly slides open and none other than Bery stands in the entrance. She corrects her vest somewhat and is about to take a step in.  
“Hey, Au-“  
That’s when she notes how the woman on the bed is not quite as prone anymore and her eyes are also open. Bery blinks confusedly.  
“Whoa, she’s awake?”

Acina can’t really prevent her lips from curling into a faint smile.  
“Hello, Captain.”

This visage creates a similar, albeit brighter, reaction in the Captain, as she grins.  
“Hah! Well, I’ll be damned! That’s a quicker recovery than I expected. Thought you’d be gone for at least another day.”  
She suddenly waves at someone to the side.  
“Babe, c’mon! She’s up!”

They hear a few quick footsteps, and eventually see Lenorr standing there too, curiously peeking inside. Aurosh exhales and rolls his eyes.  
“Just because she’s awake, that doesn’t mean she has fully recovered. I would prefer if you leave my patient alone for now.”

This is obviously not something that either of the two visitors wanted to hear and they look a bit disappointed, but not enough to oppose his decision. One who does, however, is Acina.  
She turns to glance sideways at him.  
“It’s fine, doctor. I believe I can handle it. I have slept enough as it is and right now, I want something to keep me awake. I could use the company.”

Her words produce a dissatisfied response from Aurosh and he folds his arms.  
“That may be true, but I don’t recommend it.”

“Well, I will have to insist. I want to see them.  
I would prefer to not use my superior rank in this matter, so please don’t force me.”

Aurosh frowns and stares at her for a few silent moments.  
“That is unfair.”

“I know.”

Now that they can hear how persistent Acina is being, Bery starts to smirk and slides her hands down to her hips.  
“Ah, don’t worry about it, Aurosh. It’s not like we’re gonna pounce all over her in that comfy bed. Well…not yet, anyway. Gotta save something for when she’s feeling better.”

Aurosh stares at her with a highly unamused expression, while Lenorr sighs.  
“That was very crass and unnecessary, Bery”, the latter points out.

“So what?”

Lenorr redirects her attention to Aurosh.  
“However, she’s right. We would never do anything that might harm Riela.”

Aurosh confusedly arches an eyebrow spur.  
“…Riela?”

His sister quickly clears her throat.  
“Erm…Acina, I mean.”

Seeing how it’s three on one, Aurosh finally shrugs and gives in.  
“Alright, fine. I won’t get in your way, but don’t blame me if anything goes awry.”

“Not sure what that would entail anyway”, Bery remarks.

He looks at Acina one more time.  
“I will be nearby, and you can easily contact me by pushing a button on the datapad at this table.”

She smiles at him and nods.  
“I know. Thank you, doctor.”

Before he departs, Aurosh views Bery skeptically and pats Lenorr’s shoulder. Once he disappears, the other pureblood looks down at the Captain.  
“He’s not always like this.”

“Yeah, yeah, I know. He’ll come around eventually”, Bery tells her. She doesn’t sound all too worried, believing they might become friends at some point in the future. Hopefully, anyway.  
Afterwards, they both approach the bed, looking down at the woman lying on it. Bery views the Councilor’s position and surveys it for a moment, seeing the pale skin, the bloodshot eyes, the bags under them, the messy hair and more.  
“You look like shit, by the way.”

Traces of a smirk lingers on her lips as she says it, and Acina immediately erupts in laughter, which soon breaks into coughs, due to the pain of straining her body. Lenorr exhales heavily and runs a hand over her face.  
“…really, darling?”

“What? Just saying.”

Acina clutches her abdomen and when she has finally calmed herself enough to respond, she looks like even more of a mess.  
“I’m glad to hear that our unfortunate situation hasn’t destroyed your sense of humor, at least.”

“Tsk, never.”  
It doesn’t take all too many seconds for the Captain’s demeanor to soften and she moves her hand towards Acina’s closest, holding it in a gentle grip. At the same time, Lenorr stands behind her girlfriend, folding her arms.  
“Anyway, how’re you feeling? We were worried for ya, you know?”

The tone of her voice expresses this very sensation as well, bringing an unexpectant warmth into Acina’s chest. Her smile widens, and she clutches the hand.  
“Were you now? For the health of a Dark Councilor? What would people in the underworld say of such a reaction, you think?”

“Pff. You know that’s not the reason.”

The concern is blatant on Lenorr’s face as well and it’s possible to notice other emotions, if one searches further – doubt and guilt being the foremost ones.  
“I have to apologize to you, Riela.”

Not quite the reaction she expected to receive, and a serious look descends upon Acina.  
“Why would you do that?”

Lenorr slowly shakes her head and diverts her eyes.  
“Because I failed you.”

“Failed me? How?”

“You were injured, and I was in the same room. We both had our own fights, but you were in a dire state. I should have protected you.”

That is even more confusing and Acina furrows her brow, trying to recall the events from-…well, however many days ago it was now. She forgot to ask for the time.  
“What are you talking about? You _did_ protect me.”

“You were almost cut in half and you're still in bed because of this."

“Yes, but I’m _alive_. This would not have been the case if it weren’t for you, Bery and your sister.”

She tries to be reassuring, to reduce any reasons to take blame for it, but Lenorr still hesitates, still appear as if she’s not ready to accept such offers. The whole procedure makes Bery snort.  
“Don’t mind her; Lenorr is just like this. Whenever I get injured, she reacts in the same way. She starts getting overprotective and tries to find some sign that points to her being responsible for it.”

The slightly dismissive nature makes Lenorr frown and she wants to respond, to deny it, but it’s hard to simply discard the truth of it all. She decides to turn away from them both instead.  
“I don’t-…it’s not just about-…  
…I simply believe I could have done more.”

Acina views the other Sith with sympathetic eyes and exhales through her nose.  
“I understand and appreciate your concern, but you shouldn’t be so quick to take the blame, Lenorr. You did not cause the attack and you did everything you could to save us.”

“Yeah, exactly”, Bery agrees. “We’re all still alive, babe, and you did amazingly well. You should’ve seen how you fought back in that lab. It’s because of your skills and how eager you are to protect us, that I always feel safe with you.”

“As do I", Acina concurs. “I am very grateful for what you both did.”

It takes a couple of seconds, but Lenorr slowly turns back to them again. She’s not fully satisfied, but she has acquiesced to their points, making her appear a little embarrassed.  
“…fine. You win, I suppose.”

Bery smiles and uses her free hand to take one of Lenorr’s, putting a quick kiss on the back of it.  
Afterwards, her attention shifts to Acina again.  
“I know you just woke up and all, gorgeous, but could you tell us anything more about what the hell went on back there? We asked Nidesa, but she didn’t have much of a clue. The attack just suddenly started out of nowhere, she said.”

A solemn nature begins to surround the room and Acina’s gaze gains a faraway quality, as she considers the events they experienced.  
“Sadly, I can’t add much. It was very similar for me. Nidesa arrived ahead of you and while we waited for the two of you to join us, I decided to show her around the lab. We briefly discussed what she felt it was like to be Marr’s apprentice and then…well, someone reported that we had lost power to a few systems. I thought it was a small malfunction, until I heard blaster fire outside.”

“Shit. That sounds…bad. Have you met those people before?”

A scowl appears on Acina’s face as she briefly shakes her head.  
“Not personally, although I obviously know of them. It’s difficult to not have heard of the Red Legion and their very efficient methods. I was lucky that we actually managed to sense them at all, or I might have been dead on the spot.  
I suspect they worked for Rictus still, which wouldn’t be a surprise. He is…elusive. I never knew him very well, so why he betrayed the Empire is unknown, but Mysteries as a whole has always been an unpredictable Sphere. They only trust each other.”

“Hmm. Not sure I’ve ever heard much of this Sphere anyway. What’s it about?”

“Their work is obscured and often made very complicated; not even all of the Dark Council knows what it entails. In some ways, they’re like Imperial Intelligence, but work specifically to hide and contain dangerous artifacts, hidden lore and critical knowledge.  
The more worrying element to me is how they got into my lair to begin with. Sure, they are talented, but there should have been countermeasures to deal with their intrusion. The Legion somehow deactivated all defense turrets and shields, without us hardly noticing. Afterwards, they even managed to reactive certain security protocols, like the door. Thankfully, it was nothing major, or you might have never gotten inside.”

Both Lenorr and Bery realize how serious this sounds, neither being very happy to consider the prospect of Acina being the target of an entire wing of their enemies’ forces.  
“Well, we’re obviously going to help”, Lenorr insists. “We won’t rest until we know how this treachery occurred.”

Bery clears her throat and releases one hand, so that she can scratch the back of her head.  
“Uh, I was gonna say that we’re here for her, but…I guess that’s a good point, yeah. Not sure what we can do, though.”

“Don’t worry”, Acina tells them. “I will take this to Marr, the Dark Honor Guard and others who are concerned with imperial security. They will help me solve it and take most of the heavy workload. You won’t have to be all too much involved.”

“Yeah, I’d trust them more than myself with detective work, or whatever”, says Bery, being somewhat reassured.

Lenorr doesn’t seem to be on the same page and bites her lower lip in contemplation.  
“I don’t know. I want to do something about it, to help. We can’t just let them get away with this.”

She sounds, looks and even feels rather determined about this prospect, which makes Acina smile. She reaches out with her other hand towards Lenorr.  
“That’s very sweet.” She waits until the pureblood has taken it, before she continues. “I am sure that I could use some…emotional support. There are few I can trust at this time and in the last few months, I must admit that I’ve become very…attached to the two of you.”

This brings a smile to Bery’s lips too and she nods eagerly.  
“Yeah, we’ve been very close. It’s nice. You’re fun to be around too.  
Didn’t think we’d go from a first date to saving your life so quickly, though. That’s a new one.”

Acina erupts in a gentler laughter this time, something that doesn’t strain her so much.  
“It is for me as well. I am immensely thankful for what you both did, and I promise that I will repay you.”

Lenorr quickly shakes her head.  
“There’s no need for that. You’ve done a lot for us already and we would do anything for…erm…”

She suddenly hesitates, making both of the other women view her with amused gazes.  
“What’s wrong, babe?”, Bery asks.

The pureblood swallows and then raises her free hand to scratch her cheek.  
“Well, I…I’m not sure what we should call her. As in, our…relationship.”

Acina shrugs and tries to offer a charming expression, but it’s difficult when she’s so exhausted.  
“Call me whatever you like.”

Bery grins.  
“Ooh, kinky.”

“…how did you come to that conclusion?”, Lenorr asks skeptically.

After the two other women have taken a moment to giggle, Bery seizes Lenorr’s hand once more, so that all three are holding onto each other. She then kisses one hand each, one at a time.  
“We’ll stick around for as long as we can, to keep you company. Wouldn’t want you to feel lonely or unsafe here, after all.”

“Thank you”, says Acina, with a sincere tone. “It means a lot to have you here.”

“And then, when you’re feeling better, how about a second date, huh? This time, I think we pick the place, though.”

Interest suddenly shimmers through the Councilor’s eyes and she tilts her head curiously.  
“Oh, am I going to visit one of the famous Captain Shodem’s favorite romantic gateways?”

“Hah! Something like that, I guess.”  
Bery leans closer and places a kiss on Acina’s cheek. Despite her condition and experience, a light blush adorns the Councilor’s face afterwards.  
“Don’t worry, beautiful. We’ll take care of ya.”

Lenorr isn’t quite that bold and settles for simply stroking the back of Acina’s hand somewhat affectionately.  
“I…yes, quite.”

“I trust you”, says Acina. “Both of you.”


	24. Questions of limit

For the last couple of days, the Drayen office on Port Zodric has been locked and unavailable for any visitors that have business-related queries. The rumors of certain events have spread quickly across the station and many wonder how this will affect future endeavors. It’s not like there hasn’t ever been any altercations before, but this is probably the one with the biggest kill count in quite a while and the fight included members of Captain Shodem’s crew, which was not beneficial for their reputation.

Ever since the attack, Sumalee has chosen to stay with Risha, not wanting to let the future Queen out of her sight. Kemmet and his people came around to question them only a few hours after the incident, but with conflicting reports regarding the truth, no one has been able to draw any conclusions. At least Kemmet hasn’t outright said that he doesn’t believe them, and he is taking the matter seriously. Whatever he decides, Sumalee knows she has to be there.

Risha has some personal quarters on the station and for the time being, the couple can be found in there. They’re partially discussing the events that transpired in more detail, but the situation has another more sensual element to it.  
The two of them are currently located in Risha’s bed. The human is lying topless on it, with her back on display, while Sumalee straddles her legs. The togruta is sitting in nothing more than a pair of blue shorts and a white tank top, ones borrowed from Risha.

Sumalee is massaging Risha’s back and shoulders, doing her best to relieve any physical tension. Neither of them is completely calm or unscathed after the fight, even now, but in each other’s company like this, they at least manage to feel safe. Risha’s eyes are closed and she takes a deep breath, her head slowly tilting back and forth due to the ministrations.  
“Mm. Push up a bit. And harder, please.”

The Jedi does as she’s told, though not all too vehemently.  
“I don’t want to hurt you.”

“You know you won’t.”  
She inhales in a pleasant manner when those experienced fingers nudge certain muscles, instinctively biting at her lower lip.  
“You’re really good at this.”

“I’ve had practice and I know where to push. Don’t lose focus, though. Continue your story.”

“Yeah, yeah”, Risha mutters, before she tries to recover her thoughts.  
“Anyway, Adrent wouldn’t take no for an answer. He was going to get what he wanted. That’s when the fight began.”

“They just attacked you?”

“Yeah. Well, sort of. Akaavi got the first hit, but those people had already drawn their weapons, so her actions were merely preemptive. Not sure if Kemmet will see it that way, but…”  
She shrugs.  
“We were outnumbered, though, and the fight looked bleak for quite a while, like we might lose. And that’s when you appeared. Gotta say, it was pretty impressive how you simply came out of nowhere.”

Risha may not be able to see it, but Sumalee rolls her eyes in mild annoyance.  
“I can’t believe that you didn’t see any of my calls. I must’ve tried to contact you all day.”

“I was in a meeting, Sumalee. It was a lengthy negotiation and I couldn’t just interrupt them and explain that I needed to stop in order to have a chat with my girlfriend.”

“Couldn’t you have told your receptionist droid where you were at least?”

“I was afraid they might try to barge in, so no.”

Sumalee isn’t satisfied about any section of these responses, but in the end, she can’t really do much to dispute it.  
“That is…reasonable. I guess you had to take certain precautions, just in case.”

“Exactly. Besides, you could’ve sent a mail. That would’ve been easier to check.”

“I know, but I couldn’t trust it. I wanted to hear your voice.”  
She continues her ministrations and soon reaches Risha’s lower back, trying to smooth out any potential knots that she detects along the way. Occasionally, she hears how Risha gasps softly, usually out of satisfaction. Sumalee won’t openly confess that she enjoys the sound, but it is certainly tempting.  
“I was simply worried. What I saw was…well, I was afraid it might’ve been the truth and not just some nightmare.”

Risha does occasionally get professional massages, as she sometimes requires it due to all the stress she endures, but this somehow manages to outperform them. Maybe it’s because she feels safer with Sumalee or perhaps it’s because of her girlfriend’s skills as a Jedi. Either way, she has to forcefully pull her thoughts out of this reverie, so that she can focus on the conversation.  
“Actually, I still need clarification on that. You mentioned receiving something from the Force when you came here, but you never explained what. Care to elaborate?”

The motions of the fingers slow down somewhat, as Sumalee gets a bit hesitant, but realizes that she can’t ignore it now. She did promise and Risha deserves it.  
“Yeah, I…suppose I should.  
Erm, I had a dream, about us.”

A rather smug smile appears on Risha’s lips, which Sumalee can’t see, but she definitely hears it in the voice that follows.  
“About little me? Does that happen often?”

“…let’s not get distracted.”

“Does the Jedi Council know you can’t stop thinking about me?”

“Stop it.” She sighs and slowly shakes her head, as the memories resurface. “It wasn’t exactly romantic. I dreamt that you were attacked by a bunch of shadowy figures. I couldn’t distinguish any of them, but I could see what they did – they killed you.”

Any joyful or humorous notions evaporates from Risha’s expression and she opens her eyes, staring into the pillow ahead of her.  
“Hmm. That is indeed not very pleasant. But it’s also far from what either Silcore intended or what we received. Well, Akaavi might’ve suffered that fate, if they got to choose, but…  
And you believe that was sent from the Force?”

“Well…” Sumalee hesitates, frowning while she considers her experience from that night. “It certainly felt very real, like some kind of premonition.”

“You’ve had them before?”

“Yeah. I didn’t call earlier, because I was unsure whether it was simply a dream or an actual vision.  
I took a break from my duties and decided to come here, just in case. When I didn’t find you in your office, that’s when I figured something could be wrong, that what I saw might’ve been more than just a bad dream.”  
She halts for a few moments, wondering if she should really expand on the next part. It’s not important, but Risha deserves the full story.  
“I…did consider finding and breaking into Silcore’s office, if they had hurt or taken you already.”

Not quite what Risha had expected to hear and she snickers in response.  
“And come to my rescue? How chivalrous of you, sweetheart.”

Well, that makes her feel kinda silly. It’s not an inaccurate description, but she doesn’t want to look at it that way.  
“…you’re my girlfriend. Of course I’d rescue you.  
Anyway, eventually, when you hadn’t answered any of my calls, I decided to go check the area which I believed the vision had indicated. Luckily, I was just in time, as they were trying to abduct you at that point.  
All of this felt a lot like a vision, but I obviously can’t know for sure. Perhaps it was a mere coincidence. I mean, that wouldn’t be the first time.”

The story isn’t overly theatrical or flaunting, like one of Bery’s tales, so Risha assumes it’s genuine. That said, she is intrigued by the general conclusion of it all.  
“Well, if the Force actually wanted to protect me, it must really like me.”

She hears how Sumalee exhales audibly.  
“The Force doesn’t have a will in that fashion. It’s much more likely that this was affected by my connection to you.”

“Hmm. Does that happen to other Jedi?”

A few seconds of silence linger between them, as nothing but Sumalee’s massage can be felt. Eventually, she settles on an appropriate answer.  
“I…I don’t know. Most Jedi don’t tend to have relationships like you and I do.”

“Is that why you won’t tell them about us?”

“…do we have to talk about this now?”

Risha’s first instinct is to push, to indicate that, yes, this is still an issue. It can’t be ignored, as it is important to her, but she also realizes that this angle is rarely effective. Perhaps she can try something else. She corrects her position, sliding further down on the bed.  
“Can you use the Force on me?”

Sumalee slowly raises her brow in doubt.  
“What? Use it on you? What do you mean?”

“Yeah, for some extra special massage. You can do a lot with those weird powers, right? Surely, using it for this purpose shouldn’t be any problem at all.”

“I dunno. I’d prefer not to.”

“Why not?”

The hands on her back are now slowing down, losing their grip and their willingness to proceed.  
“Because…it’s not appropriate.”

Risha’s eyes are open now and she furrows her brow. She doesn’t need to be Force sensitive to know what Sumalee is probably feeling.  
“Not appropriate or are you afraid that you might hurt me?”

“I never said that.”

“Are you, though?”

That proves to be a poignant and difficult question to answer. Sumalee hesitates and almost withdraws completely, just holding her fingers on Risha’s skin.  
“Why would I be?”

Risha shrugs, but it’s not quite as casual as she may have preferred. She has a purpose to pursue.  
“I don’t know. What I do know, however, is that you tend to hold back around me. It’s weird.”

The togruta slowly strokes her fingertips somewhat absentmindedly along her girlfriend’s back. Arguing with Risha can be difficult, as she doesn’t stop until she gets what she wants or at the very least manages to make the other party think about what they’ve said. Sumalee has always gotten that impression and it makes this whole issue more complex. Whatever will come of it, she will likely not be entirely satisfied.

“What do you mean by that? When do I hold back?”

“All the time, both physically and mentally.  
You almost never want us to be seen in public, unless it’s in areas where we can’t be spotted by the Republic or Jedi officials; you only come around here when it’s important; you never dare to try new things or take risks together; in bed, you’re always so tender, even when I ask for more, as if you don’t believe I can take it.”  
Risha finally turns herself around, supporting her sloped position with her elbows. She doesn’t look angry, but the gaze she gives Sumalee is still fairly intense, scrutinizing the other woman.  
“I’ve been noticing these developments for quite a while now.”

Even if she’s feeling somewhat exposed and unfairly accused, Sumalee is also curious. She remains in her current position, but now caresses Risha’s stomach.  
“I don’t-…I mean, I’m not saying you’re right or wrong, but you haven’t spoken about this earlier. You usually only complain that I don’t visit you enough.”

Instead of going straight in and being overly critical of Sumalee’s behavior, Risha considers another approach, hopefully something that could make her understand.  
“Yeah, because I couldn’t be certain of your intentions. Earlier, I was pretty sure that you were just afraid of the Jedi, that they’d find out what you’re doing, but now I’m starting to wonder if it’s because you’re a Force user.”

Sumalee’s eyes move around searchingly, not just examining Risha’s appearance and voice, but her emotions.  
“What does that have to do with anything?”

“Answer me honestly, Sumalee – do you, as a Force user, feel that you need to restrain yourself around me? Are you afraid of what we do together, of what might happen to me?”

This is rather sudden for the Jedi, not an angle she had personally considered.  
“You mean, like…hurt you with it?”

“Yeah, either physically or mentally.”

“But…I don’t know where this is coming from.”

“Just answer me.”

Her lekku have started to twist and coil around themselves. They display signals of doubt and confusion, some of which Risha recognizes.  
“But I don’t-…where-…  
Not…exactly.”

“But still somewhat?”

Sumalee diverts her eyes and raises a hand to slowly stroke her own neck, trying to find answers within herself. Does that play a role or not?  
“I mean, to a slight degree, I guess. It does make me hesitate sometimes, but not to the extent where it cripples me in any way.  
If I ever do things that prevent me from being with you wherever I want, I’d say it’s mostly based on my duty to the Jedi. I’ve worked so hard for my position among them and I don’t want to squander that.”  
Once she’s satisfied with her response, she watches Risha again.  
“What made you assume being a Force user was an issue? Do you really think I hold back in bed or our relationship?”

Risha looks down, starting to move her legs somewhat, to brush against Sumalee’s.  
“Yeah, a little. I thought about this angle a while ago and wondered if that was to blame, rather than the Jedi.”

“Why?”

It’s Risha’s turn to waver, questioning whether it’s worth bringing this up. Perhaps it will sound silly in this situation.  
“I…spoke to Lenorr a while ago, about her relationship with Bery and she gave me some ideas.”

Sumalee folds her arms skeptically.  
“Wait, you took advice from a Sith?”

“Well, who else would I talk to? You’re so scared that the Jedi will discover us, I had to find someone else that gets this whole thing better than me. She’s my friend and it seemed appropriate.”  
She lifts her hand and caresses her girlfriend’s arm.  
“Are you completely sure that it isn’t a problem? Because if you’re not, then this whole thing we’re doing won’t work. I can’t be with someone who won’t offer enough of themselves into our relationship.”

Recognition begins to take shape, not just in Sumalee’s mind, but on her face as well. She’s getting it now.  
“You’re afraid that this is only temporary.” It’s more of a statement than a question.

Risha looks away, hoping to hide her emotions. Doesn’t really work very well with a Jedi.  
“Maybe.”

It’s not like Risha hasn’t had relationships that were fleeting before, ones that were always meant to fade away into obscurity. Some of them were even enjoyable, gave her experience and a new appreciation for what life has to offer. This one feels more meaningful, though, meant to last.  
Sumalee tilts her body closer, caresses Risha’s cheek and then leans in to kiss her softly. The human doesn’t struggle, doesn’t do anything to oppose it, but also nothing to further its goal. She merely sits where she is, appreciating the tender motions and the pleasant sensation of Sumalee’s lips. She senses how the tip of one lek brushes her chest.

“I’m sorry”, Sumalee whispers. “I never meant to scare you into thinking that this is not important to me. It is.  
Like I said, I just don’t want my Order to judge us. If I become too attached to you, I wonder if that might influence me, like it has with other Jedi.”

Risha studies Sumalee’s eyes curiously and places her hands on her girlfriend’s thighs.  
“What, and destroy you?”

Sumalee shakes her head.  
“No. Rather than being afraid that it’ll weaken me, I wonder if the Jedi will attempt to purge our relationship. They’re the ones scared of attachment and they might try to break us apart. I don’t want that.  
Compared to the beliefs of the Jedi Council, I’m one of those who think that relationships can be important and have the ability to strengthen bonds and abilities, definitely not something we should just discard. I feel better whenever I’m in your presence.”

Up until this point, Risha has been so serious and reluctant to show joy, but a small smile appears now, and she grabs the lek that strokes itself against her, starting to fondle it. She knows Sumalee relishes the touch.  
“I’m glad you think so. You know it’s the same for me, even if I’m not a Jedi. This is why I was worried.  
But if you feel this way, why not bring it up with the Jedi? Why hide it?”

Sumalee bites her lip to begin with. There’s a chance that she’ll drift back to old excuses and that wouldn’t be fair here. She has to search her heart for the truth.  
“I want to do that, but I have to find the right approach or perhaps even people that agree with me. If I don’t, then it will all be for nothing, as they’ll just ignore everything.”

Even if it’s not an entirely satisfactory response, it’s definitely reasonable. Risha lifts the lek and kisses it softly.  
“Alright, I get it. If you need any help, I’m here for you. It’s important to me that we can support each other through this mess, you know?”

To somewhat imitate these motions, Sumalee runs a hand through Risha’s hair, especially now that the strands are hanging more loosely.  
“Yeah, I agree. I’ll accept all that I can.  
To get back to what you said earlier, I don’t want you to get the wrong impression of my emotions. If it’ll make you feel better, I’ll do my best to be around here more often, whenever I get a gap in my schedule. Or, at the very least, I’ll try to call more.”  
She strokes her hand along Risha’s cheek, down to her chin, until she can brush a few fingers over the lips as well.  
“You’re not a burden to me. I wouldn’t really be who I am, or as strong as I am, without you.”

Risha’s previous smile widens and she places a hand behind Sumalee’s neck, pulling her in. She nuzzles the togruta’s nose, letting their lips brush against each other.  
“When you say it like that…well, it’s quite a turn-on”, she whispers suggestively.

Sumalee chuckles.  
“I’m not always romantic, but I try.”

“You’re cute too, which is a plus.”

They complete the act by locking their lips in a fiercer kiss than before and Sumalee allows Risha to pull her down into the bed. She wraps her legs around the Jedi’s waist, caresses the lekku and grinds her lower body against her lover. Simultaneously, Sumalee’s hands roam across her girlfriend, first in mere gentle strokes, until she reaches the hips and thighs, which is when she squeezes. She uses a bit of extra force, to fulfill previous requests.

“I will help you against these bastards, Risha. I’ll protect you.”

“I know, my lil' Jedi.”


	25. A home at precipice

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _To understand this chapter, it might be important to have read[chapter 46](https://archiveofourown.org/works/7386703/chapters/25398897) and [47](https://archiveofourown.org/works/7386703/chapters/25585602) from "The precipice of division"._   
>  _Content warning: Slavery is mentioned here, although it isn't depicted._

If there’s one star system that Bery had not expected to visit any time soon, other than when Acina calls, it’s Ziost. The main world is one of the core population and trade centers in the Empire, sure, but it’s not one that either she or Lenorr prioritize anymore. In fact, Bery has even assigned others to take care of any shipments the Empire requests there, as she would prefer to avoid the journey. Personal complications get in the way.

Just a few days ago, this situation changed. Perhaps due to recent private developments or maybe because of that New Empire attack they heard almost struck the planet some months back, they received a message. It originated from Lagtenn and Derrashi, Lenorr’s parents, who apparently wanted to meet with both.  
Bery won’t deny that she was and still is hesitant, but Lenorr is thankfully on the same page. This was only made worse when her parents said that they want to discuss something important.

For the Captain, the biggest problem was that she still doesn’t fully understand how Sith pureblood politics or customs works. What does ‘important’ mean in this context? She knows there are all kinds of rituals and cultural codes that she will probably never comprehend, especially since so many of them are Force sensitive. What if the critical aspect of their visit is meant to signify the damage or death they aim to inflict upon her and Lenorr? Her girlfriend has tried to reassure her that’s not the case, but Bery remains skeptical.  
The only element that has somewhat alleviated doubt, is the section of the message that read ‘it’s not what you assume, we promise’. That definitely got their attention and even though it might be just as devastating, it required investigation.

It’s been at least a year or more since they visited this particular region of Ziost and during all that time, the couple has not expressed any desire to come back.  
Bery knows that Lenorr has occasionally corresponded with her parents, but she hasn’t mentioned the speed of the progress other than by saying that ‘they’re trying’. The Captain hasn’t wanted to discourage or applaud either direction, not until she gets results.

When they arrive at the mansion, they experience quite a bit of confusion. Not only is there much less personnel on the fields and gardens, but they also can’t see a very crucial aspect – slaves. They spot several droids and a few humans and aliens that operate various equipment, but none of them wear slave collars. It’s especially surprising to Lenorr.  
“This seems…strange.”

Bery raises a hand and scratches the back of her head.  
“You don’t think they’ve done anything with them, do you? Like, uh…I dunno, as punishment?”

The Sith at her side seems to contemplate this notion for several seconds, but she can offer no definitive answer. It appears she keeps switching back and forth in her opinion.  
“I don’t know. We should go inside and see what they have to say.”  
The duo passes through the door without interruptions, as no one stands in their way and they enter the initial hallway of the house. They notice some curious details here - the stairs and elevator are still there, but a lot of the expensive furniture and decorations are gone.   
“Mother? Father?”

Calling out for them gains a rather swift reaction, as both of the older purebloods descend through the stairs together.  
They spot the mother with the sharp tendrils as eyebrows, crimson skin, long greying dark brown hair in a braided ponytail, yellow eyes and a few golden facial ornaments. Next to her walks the father, with grey shoulder-length hair, somewhat darker red skin, orange eyes, facial tendrils that appear like a long moustache and for now, only three silver ornaments, under his eyes and nose. Both are dressed in black and silver-colored robes.

“Lenorr!”, Derrashi exclaims. “We’re glad that you decided to come. We…weren’t sure if you would accept our request.”

“But we certainly appreciate it”, Lagtenn concurs.  
Neither of the other duo is particularly surprised when Lenorr is embraced with a hug, which is something she allows them to do, but the astonishment derives from Lagtenn’s offer to shake Bery’s hand.  
“We are pleased that you could come as well, Captain.”

Bery and Lenorr share a quick glance, even more so when Derrashi smiles at her too. Okay, maybe this wasn’t quite what either of them had anticipated, but not necessarily for any negative reasons.  
“Uh, yeah, that’s…not a problem”, Bery admits when she accepts the hand.

This welcome is quite a refreshing change from their last encounter. In some ways, the parents now almost appear humble.  
“Lenorr, Captain Shodem, would it be possible for you to come speak with us in private?”, asks Derrashi.

The younger Sith looks to Bery for confirmation, and the Captain merely shrugs.  
“That’s why we’re here, so I don’t see why not.”  
At this point, both of them kinda want to see what the hell is going on anyway. It could be a trick, of course, but that’s not the feeling they’re getting.

Any major topics are delayed for a little while, as they are taken into the dining hall and wait for refreshments. Tea and a modest meal are prepared for them by a droid, something that the married duo insists that they partake of while they converse. Bery is too intrigued to either be afraid of potential poisoning, or to spike it in any way. She could’ve still tried to, but perhaps it’s best to remain sober for this encounter.

Lenorr lets the scent of locally grown and brewed tea reach her nose, allowing it to soothe her unease for a few seconds with faded memories, until she chooses to break the silence.  
“So, what did you want to discuss?”

Her parents share a glance of their own now, before Lagtenn clears his throat.  
“Well, you see…erm…we want to, uh…”

He takes a deep breath, but can’t quite decide on an appropriate starting point. Derrashi is somewhat less doubtful of their position, and therefore takes over.  
“We know that your last visit here became overly heated. A lot of things were said that may not have been…acceptable in polite company.”  
She directs herself specifically towards Bery.  
“We did not express it earnestly enough back then, which is why we wish to do so now – we both apologize for our behavior and the comments we made about you, Captain Shodem. Those were not words that one should say to individuals they respect.”

“Indeed”, Lagtenn agrees. “Though it should probably be noted that we technically didn’t respect you at that point, for which we apologize as well. Since then, we have had the chance to…reflect upon our decisions and perspectives.”

The room grows quiet after this, and it’s not until Bery sees that Lenorr is watching her as well, that she understands they expect her to make a statement.  
“Oh, uh, yeah sure. I accept your apology.” All three take quite relieved breaths. Bery doesn’t want them to get too comfortable, though. “That said, I’d still like to know why you called us here.”

“Of course”, says Derrashi. “You see, during the year since our last conversation, the two of us went through a lot of difficult scenarios. We wondered if we might somehow be able to solve this dilemma in our own way.  
We have had several confrontations with Lenorr before, but none of this magnitude, nothing that created such fierce hostility. We were afraid we might never see our oldest daughter again.”  
In the brief pause of the explanation, Bery glances at her girlfriend, seeing how a little bit of sorrow enters her eyes. Neither of them tries to interrupt, though.  
“Eventually, we decided to examine our behavior and beliefs, to seek outside information, even beyond the Empire and slowly expand our horizons.”

Lagtenn sighs and shakes his head.  
“At first, it was very difficult for us to accept that we had to perform this type of work. We refused to believe that we were the mistaken party in this endeavor, but realized that everything could not be so clear-cut.  
We examined Lenorr as well, reviewed the process that she had gone through in order to change herself. She stripped the imperial rank she once held, abandoned her duties, reworked her opinion of the galaxy and found a new life outside of this nation. All of that seemed almost…unthinkable, but we pushed onward regardless, for our daughter.”

“Much of this determination can also be attributed to Sevatan and Nidesa. Both of them expressed support for you, Lenorr, that you were doing the right thing. They claimed that we were simply stuck in the old ways.”

Lenorr manages to display a faint smile and look down at the table.  
“I know. They have been quite supportive of me and Bery for a while now.”

“Yup, they’re cool people”, Bery admits.

Both remarks make Derrashi smile, shortly before she proceeds.  
“It was after this that we realized our folly. If Lenorr could go through all of this effort, to discard ranks and traditions, to follow a path that few other Sith can survive, how can we not at least learn to respect it? Our children mean everything to us.”

Lagtenn nods quickly in agreement.  
“Months later, after we had made our research, considered our positions and what acts we may have to perform, we came to a drastic decision. We chose to release all of our slaves, work on the process to give them full citizenship and allowed them to pursue their own lives.”

Before they can proceed, Bery raises her hand and starts to look kinda confused.  
“Hold on. You…released your slaves? All of them?”

Derrashi inclines her head.  
“Indeed. We saw no other recourse. If we were to transform, to become more respectable in the eyes of our daughter and her beloved, we had to take the right steps.”

Bery blinks several times, her mouth left somewhat agape. She turns to look at Lenorr, who simply smiles and shrugs.  
“Wow”, says the Captain. “That’s…quite a change, yeah.”

“We attempted to offer them proper jobs here at the manor”, Lagtenn explains, “but all of them refused. We don’t blame them for it, of course. They received their freedom, so they obviously did not wish to be trapped in their old captor’s lair.  
We still wished to assist them, however, so we contacted Darth Vowrawn, to see if he could help us in some way. Through him, Darth Imperius got involved as well and last we heard, the people we sent away divided themselves across two different paths – some took work in other worlds of the Empire, while the rest were shipped to destinations of their choosing outside of our nation.”

Lenorr nods in the direction of the door.  
“Who were the people we saw outside, then?”

“Hired workers and droids”, says Derrashi. “We do have a lot of credits, so we decided to utilize the funds at our disposal in order to acquire actual personnel. As Imperius wanted to promote this changing behavior all over the Empire, she decided to offer some aid directly from her Sphere.”

“Huh”, they hear from Bery. “Well, gotta admit it’s pretty cool, but also very confusing. This was the last thing I expected from you guys, after the disaster we walked into last time.”

Lagtenn takes a sip of his tea and leans back in his chair.  
“That is not all. On Darth Imperius’ recommendation, we decided to put more of our funds on new ideas across Ziost, so that more slaves may be freed from their chains.  
Among other things, we have invested in increased droid manufacturing from the Sphere of Production and Logistics, as well as promoted the installation of more automated systems. We have the technology, so it seems rather foolish to not utilize it properly. It has pushed our resources and we've had to sell some of our belongings to compensate, but we believe it's worth the sacrifice.”

“Well, I appreciate it, of course”, says Bery.

“And I approve”, Lenorr agrees. They say this, but it’s clear they’re both still hesitant. “That said, we don’t understand where this choice originates from. Are you really doing all this just because you want me to be satisfied with your actions, or is there more?”

Derrashi tries to swallow some of what she’s eating, puts down her cutlery and places her hands in her lap.  
“No, it’s not all for you, my dear, even if your opinion is valuable to us.  
We are doing this for you as well, Captain. We hope this might show that we’re willing to welcome you into our family.”

Bery arches an astonished and skeptical brow.  
“Really? For me?”

“All the research we’ve done, all the discussions we’ve had with our children, it was to make sure that we are all on the same page, that we can be a better family.  
It’s undeniable now that Lenorr is not going to let go of her love for you and losing a child is completely unacceptable to us. When faced with such a quandary, we realized that it is much better to change ourselves, which is what we’ve been trying to accomplish.”

“We don’t know if this is enough to show our sincerity to you, Captain”, Lagtenn adds, “but…we had to try. We could see that you were not going to splinter – in fact, the more time spent together, the closer the two of you seemed to grow.  
The Empire is slowly changing, and we wish to survive in what it will become. That means gambling on the unknown and we are choosing to put our faith in you.”

It’s certainly satisfying to hear, that they are willing to admit mistakes and wrongdoings. However, Bery can’t accept it without question. She wants to hear more.  
She tilts forward and places her arms on the table.  
“And you really think that’ll last? I mean, what if all of this blows up in your faces, huh? What if the Empire doesn’t take the route you thought? Too much change can be a burden to some people, who don’t wanna remove status quo. Sure, you’re in a lethal situation right now, with enemies everywhere, but that won’t necessarily last forever. What then?”

Lagtenn and Derrashi look at each other, but neither of them appears all too doubtful. They may have reached a consensus in this matter after all.  
“Well”, the father starts, “then we will take that risk. If Lenorr, Sevatan and Nidesa are all ready to fall for this cause, we will follow. We have to protect our children and their interests. Aurosh has also gradually started to embrace this mindset.”

Derrashi takes her husband’s hand and place both on the table together.  
“As a final sign of our dedication, we offer our blessing to you, should you ever wish to marry. If you wish to become part of House Evintok, Captain, we open our arms and our home to you.”

And that is the final step, the last surprise revelation, something that temporarily stuns Bery. Lenorr, on the other hand, is beaming with joy, smiling quite brightly at them. She’s glad to hear that they are finally opening up.  
From all the mails they exchanged, she never fully received this view. They never told her how adamant they were in their wish to adapt and how much work they were willing to perform.

“Mother, father, I am very pleased to hear all of this. I think this is a good development and I am proud of you.  
But…”, she says and reins her excitement in, to instead glance towards Bery, “ultimately, my opinion doesn’t matter. It’s more important to know how Bery feels.”

The twi’lek sits with her arms on the armrests and her legs folded, as she ponders this topic quite ardently. She’s looking much more solemn than usual, which isn’t really a strange conclusion. In fact, had she not taken these circumstances seriously, Lenorr would’ve been quite disappointed.  
“Well, I’m gonna be frank with ya, if you don’t mind.”

Derrashi and Lagtenn tighten the hold on their hands slightly, something that is done instinctively.  
“Of course, go ahead, Captain”, says the mother. “Speak your mind.”

“I can’t really forgive you completely, not yet. That would be too easy. You still held slaves in this very house, some of them being twi’lek and I can’t ignore that, you know?  
However…you’re still the parents of a woman that I love, more than most people in this galaxy, which means I’m willing to give you a chance. I appreciate that you’re trying to make an effort and that you admit how wrong you were in the past, when shown other ways. That’s a good start.  
If you wanna talk more regularly after this, I wouldn’t mind. Keep this up and maybe we’ll even be friends one day.”

There’s relief on the faces of the other couple, who bow their heads in respect.  
“We thank you, Captain, for giving us this opportunity”, says Lagtenn. “We promise to continue doing our very best.”

They then offer to shake their hands, which she does. Shortly after, Lenorr kisses Bery’s head and hugs her tightly.  
“Thank the stars that our assumptions were incorrect”, she whispers.

“You and me both, babe.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _I know this was perhaps a little bit forced, as not everyone in the world tries to redeem themselves. This isn't exactly a grand redemption arc either, though I could argue that they never had a big role to begin with. ___  
>  _Still, I hope that this displays the progressing element of my stories that the Empire is slowly changing, how there are citizens in it that are willing to do something. I mean, it has been more than a year, so it's not like this happened overnight. I also wanted one family in the Talon Legacy that doesn't necessarily end in flames. Lagtenn and Derrashi realize that their daughter has entered a new path and they want to change with her. Otherwise, they'll be left behind._


	26. Credits blank, Shadows rise

Once more, for the second time in only a few weeks, Bery tries to get comfortable in one of Port Nowhere’s cantina backrooms. It’s not that she doesn’t like it, nor that she isn’t used to these types of settings, but it’s getting kinda ridiculous in her mind that she has to hide like this. Smuggling, theft and dangerous heists are all aspects that she’s used to, but spying? Infiltration? That’s beyond her comfort zones, reaching areas that she doesn’t believe she’ll ever get accustomed to. She hopes that won’t have to either, but the level of the underworld she has entered might make it inevitable.

The difference with the last visit is that Bery is only joined by Risha right now. This is just a debriefing, so they won’t actually need the mandalorian.  
No matter how nervous Bery might be, it’s nothing compared to her partner, who’s pacing over the side of the room with her arms crossed. In contrast, the Captain sits on the sofa eating a chocolate bar, looking practically relaxed.

“Hey, Drayen, would you sit and calm down? I’m getting stomach ulcers from just looking at ya.”

Risha does stop, but also furrows her brow in Bery’s direction.  
“Calm down? I can’t, and I don’t know how you’re able to.”

“It’s easy – I just sit and try not to think about it.”

“Well, _thinking_ is exactly what we need to do right now. They’re late, Bery, by more than an hour. When have you ever heard of two galactic spies being late?”  
She lowers her gaze and brushes a finger over her lips in a worried manner.  
“What if something has happened to them? Silcore has already caused enough trouble for us and I don’t want to endanger my friend too.”

Bery bites off another piece of the chocolate and arches her eyebrow. She speaks while she eats.  
“If that’s the case, don’t you think it’s kinda stupid to send her on like, one of the most dangerous missions we have?”

Risha sighs.  
“And what else were we going to do? I don’t know anyone else with the right skills. Do you?”

“Well…no, but I’m also not complaining. Besides, I’m sure it’s not that bad. Not only are these two spies, but also some of the best in the industry, if what they say is true; especially Cierah. Jovana told me that she's been through all kinds of shit, much worse than this.”

Sadly, these words don’t do much to alleviate Risha’s tension.  
“Is that supposed to be reassuring? Because it’s not. If they get into your level of trouble, that only makes this entire issue several times worse.”

“Excuse me? My ‘level of trouble’? ‘the fuck is that supposed to mean?”

Risha tilts her head and looks at Bery with the kind of gaze which tells the Captain that the implication should’ve been obvious.  
“Don't sound so surprised. I love you, Shodem, but your life is literally a story of trouble."

“Sure, but a lucrative one!”

“Debatable.”  
She turns her eyes down to the floor, as a solemn sensation washes over her once more.  
“I’m also afraid they might’ve separated, for whatever reason. I did receive a message from Shariss a couple of days into the mission. Said she was considering leaving it and only changed her mind hours later.”

Bery merely shrugs in response.  
“Meh, I knew that would happen, but I wasn’t worried. You saw their determination at the initial briefing, right? I have a feeling the competition will keep ‘em together until this is over. Dunno what’ll happen afterwards, but that’s not really our problem.”

Risha shakes her head, not at all satisfied with this conclusion.  
“Glad to see that you care about my friend.”

“Hey, she chose to be loyal to the Republic, not me.”

The discussion ends at this point, as they finally hear noise outside the room and thankfully, it does sound like the voices originate from the two women they’re waiting for. The weird element of this prospect is that they’re conversing and in a friendly manner too.  
Upon entry, they see how the two other women are wearing civilian-looking gear, with jackets, pants and flat shoes, mostly in black, blue and white. Cierah wears a polo neck shirt underneath, while Shariss has a button-up one.

The first thing that happens is that Shariss laughs at something that the human said, while there is a faint smile on Cierah’s lips – an unusual sight – with her eyebrow raised.  
“No way”, says the SIS agent. “You could never do that.”

“I can”, Cierah insists. “I’ve done it before.”

“Pfff! You got proof, Nine?”

“I do, but it’s classified.”

“Oh, that’s a shitty reason and you know it! Classic spy excuses 101.”

Bery and Risha are both very confused at this development. When they last saw these two, they were arguing, practically on the verge of breaking out into fistfight. Now they almost talk as if they’re…friends? Shariss even puts a hand on Cierah’s shoulder and smiles in the kind of way that Risha knows she’d only do with someone she feels comfortable with. What has happened here? What changed?

When they stop, Shariss notices the weird looks on their faces, that the other two are virtually staring. She seems amused.  
“What’s wrong? Never seen two buddies talking before?”

Risha clears her throat.  
“Uh, well…not sure I’ve ever seen Republic and Imperial spies being ‘buddies’. This isn’t what we expected to face today.”

“Heh. Thought we’d be arguing, huh?”

Bery devours the last of her chocolate and tosses the wrapper behind her on the floor.  
“Or shooting each other.”

Cierah shows them a more solemn expression.  
“There were some initial complications, but it was all resolved eventually. We valued the mission progress more than our bickering. Neither of us wanted to fail.”

Instead of displaying the same feeling, Shariss smirks and playfully pokes Cierah’s cheek.  
“Heh, you see that? She’s putting on her ‘serious mode’ face. She tries too hard to look professional, in my opinion.”

The human rolls her eye and folds her arms.  
“…I’m not ‘trying’, I’m succeeding.”

“Hah! If you say so, Nine.”

It’s not just strange to the other duo that Shariss teases her so playfully, but the fact that Cierah isn’t particularly fighting back. Sure, she looks mildly annoyed, but not pissed off. And did Shariss just use an affectionate nickname?  
“We accomplished our task for the most part”, Cierah tells the other women, “though it wasn’t without obstacles. The majority of this can be blamed on Kartur getting distracted.”

Shariss smirk persists and she bumps her shoulder into Cierah.  
“Oh c’mon, none of that frowny face. You know you loved every second.”

Not only does Cierah not step away, but also nudges back into Shariss.  
“I believe ‘every’ is a bit of an overstatement. But…I suppose it wasn’t unpleasant.”

“Wait”, says Risha and raises her arms. “So your mission was a success?”

“Yup”, Shariss confirms. “Mostly, anyway, like she said.”

“Alright, then perhaps we should sit down and get into the details?”

Bery smiles somewhat slyly.  
“Hold on, Risha. I wouldn’t mind waiting for a while, if these two wanna fool around some more. Never seen an SIS spy and an Imperial Intelligence agent make out before.”

The mechanic sighs and proceeds to approach the sofa.  
“Stop it. That’s not going to happen.”

Cierah and Shariss turn to glance at each other, with the mirialan’s face growing into a grin.  
“Yeah, nothing like that would _ever_ happen. Because _no one_ can charm ol’ Nine here.”

In response, Cierah narrows her eye.  
“…don’t sound so smug.”

Bery lifts her hand and gestures with her finger between them.  
“…what’s that supposed to mean?”

After detaching herself from Cierah, Shariss slips an arm around Bery’s shoulders and walks with her to the sofa.  
“Nothing you need to worry about, Captain. It’s time for the debriefing now.”

“Hey what? I want details!”

“There are none”, Cierah reassures her and then sits down next to Risha.

Shariss sits down in between Risha and Bery, and pulls out a datapad from her jacket, which she hands to the human.  
“This is a specially encrypted device, which we’ve stored all the information in. It contains everything you need to know about our mission. Could’ve transferred it to your mail, but this was safer, just in case they try to monitor your HoloNet communication.”

Risha takes the item, starts it up and sees a lot of folders presented.  
“Right. Well, I’ll look through all of this later, but could you give us a summary?”

Cierah nods and crosses her legs.  
“We’ve been studying both the syndicate and much of the station quite extensively, to get the full picture of the situation. I hadn’t been there in many months and needed to get up to date. We have a lot of personal and organizational intel, that show the structure of how Silcore operates, which names that matter and their foremost tasks.  
Silcore itself has quite an impressive number of businesses and sources of income, which is likely why they’re so successful, but that’s not really the interesting part.”

“We dug right into how much resources the syndicate has at their disposal, what they use it for and who gets what”, Shariss explains. “At first, everything looked kinda normal. Well, as normal as a criminal organization can be, I guess. Anyway, we started noticing some discrepancies.”

“Like what?”, asks Risha.

“Oh, you know, irregular withdrawals and deposits of funds that came in uneven amounts. When we examined them, they didn’t have any immediate recipients or senders, which looked weird to us.  
We decided to study the withdrawals further and noticed that there were small sums on multiple levels, which together made up a substantial percentage, but ones that would be practically unnoticeable unless you specifically search for these things.”

“The interesting aspect of all this”, Cierah continues, “is that almost as much credits were being deposited back into Silcore’s accounts from other sources, likely to conceal the process. However, these funds were not distributed to or from some type of hub network for a specific company, but to several parties at once.”

Risha tries to take it all in, but eventually raises her eyes and looks confusedly at both of them.  
“Wait a second. You’re telling me that they randomly received and sent credits to other syndicates, without any reason?”

“Well, we doubt it’s ‘random’, but basically, yes.”

“So, naturally, after we were done checking Silcore out, we moved onto other syndicates, to confirm what we’d seen”, says Shariss. “And what do ya know? The same weird small resource extractions and payments were made to a bunch of other syndicates and companies.”

“I don’t get it”, Bery tells them. “Why would anyone do that?”

“Well, unless they’ve got all of their accountants working together and using a lot of specific identification codes, all of these resources distributions will look very confusing and suspicious. From a glance, it might seem to the syndicates as if someone is stealing credits from them, as there isn’t anything directly shown in return for that transaction.”

Risha arches her brow.  
“But didn’t you say they were concealed?”

Cierah shakes her head.  
“Not all. Some leave visible trails, almost as if intentionally left to be found. Your company’s name appeared within Silcore’s transactions, for example.”

“Okay, so what do you believe is going on? I’m assuming that the syndicates aren’t doing this on their own?”

Shariss snorts.  
“Not unless they’ve coordinated on a deeper level to be very confusing.”

“Indeed”, Cierah agrees. “We believe a third party is involved. To those of us from the shadow world, it would seem that someone is doing this to deliberately create chaos and distrust, to stoke conflict. We’ve seen similar actions done before; hell, the Empire has even conducted similar operations in the past.”

“And it’s not like they’re failing either. When we checked Silcore’s messages, along with ones from two other syndicates, there are already discussions between their higherups what their rivals are doing and if they should start striking back. In terms of Silcore, that’s obviously mostly aimed at you guys. You’re not the sole target, only the most prominent one.”

This is obviously worrying for several reasons. A war in the underworld, especially at this scale, could be very dangerous. There’s already a war going on in other sections of the galaxy; this shouldn’t have to spread even further.  
Bery lifts a hand to stroke her forehead.  
“Okay, this…sounds really bad and kinda creepy, to be honest. Do you have any clue about who the hell is behind this? Hutts? The Empire or Republic? The chiss?”

Sadly, the immediate response is a shrug from Shariss.  
“No, not yet. But we’re not done.”

Cierah inclines her head in agreement.  
“We will continue to sift through the intel until we find a better trace and someone to blame. You have our solemn promise in that regard.”

“This’ll have to be done separately, though. Nine and I have our own jobs to deal with too and we have to get back to ‘em. We’ll help you whenever we have off-hours.”

Risha takes a deep breath as she browses the various files in front of her, realizing how much will have to be done. Eventually, she puts the datapad down in her lap and places a hand on a leg each from the two agents.  
“Thank you both for doing all of this. Without you, we wouldn’t have gotten this far.  
Obviously, I’ll begin scouring this stuff immediately. I’ll try to make Bery do some work as well.”

If she thought she’d get away with that comment without protest, though, she’s clearly mistaken. The Captain gasps in an indignant manner.  
“Hey, I work! It’s just that, like, numbers sort of make my brain melt. Except when I get paid.”

“I think you react similarly to all large blocks of texts that aren't cheap novels, to be honest. Perhaps I can covert this into a vid somehow.”

“Well…doubt that’d make it more fun.”  
She then directs her attention to the two agents.  
“So, can we expect any more fighting between the two of you?”

Cierah and Shariss look at each other for a few seconds, before the SIS agent winks at her. It makes Cierah snort.  
“I doubt it.”

The reaction is clearly interesting, but also a little worrying from Bery’s perspective.  
“Not that I wanna get in your way or anything, but you should probably be careful, Cierah. When Jov is involved…well, you know.”

“Actually, there’s no need to be concerned, Captain. I have already spoken with my girlfriend and she does not mind. She and I discuss these matters.”

Interest shimmers through Shariss eyes and she leans closer, resting an arm on Risha’s legs, which is in between them.  
“Oh? You’ve been talking about me with your girlfriend, have you?”

“Only how much of a nuisance you are.”

Shariss grins and places the hand on Cierah’s thigh instead, while she looks at Risha.  
“She likes me.”

Risha lifts her arms in a shrug.  
“I don’t really understand why, though.”

“Neither do I”, Cierah admits.

Their comments make Shariss chuckle.  
“I’m just that irresistible. The best friend you can have, basically.”

“I’ll get back to you about my opinion on that, once I have decided.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _Oh, if you wanna read what about how Cierah and Shariss got along, I posted a short fic about that, called["Slicer, Hunter, Trooper, Spy"](https://archiveofourown.org/works/14442822/chapters/33359853)._


	27. Mounted desires

Dinner, dancing and a holomovie. Such activities felt almost too normal to invite a Dark Councilor. Sure, they had one dinner date back on Dromund Kaas, but that was in an expensive and all too fancy restaurant. This would be much more low-key, personal and probably cheap. Not that Bery wasn’t capable of treating her friends and loved ones to lavish excursions, but that wasn’t the point of this encounter.

The Captain, Lenorr and Acina return to the Hypertrail after several hours of having fun together, with almost a sense of relief. At this time, they are fairly unknown to their surroundings, which might’ve been strange to consider due to Acina’s position and the notoriety of the vessel, if it were not for the fact that they’re in neutral space. They wanted to get away from the core of the conflicts that infects and haunts the galaxy, to focus on each other. After the horrors of their clash with the Red Legion, they needed a break.

As they wander into the ship, the entire trio is somewhat unsteady on their feet, due to a slightly intoxicated state. There’s probably also a certain high remaining, affected by the excitement of today’s events. It’s still pretty clear that Lenorr is the most lucid of the three, though.  
The original plan was to find some sort of hotel to stay at, but Bery changed her mind. She suggested heading back to the Hypertrail as it’s not just cheaper, but comfier too, since all her stuff is here. Or that’s the excuse she gave anyhow.

Compared to their last date, Acina opted for a more modest set of robes this time, designed in swirling patterns of red, violet and white. The one with the most revealing dress is Bery, exposing parts of her chest, arms and legs. A lot of the eyes from the other two women, as well as occasional spectators, have been on her all night, but that was likely the goal. Lenorr wears a simple polo neck shirt and a long skirt, which is still more casual than she usually goes for.

Once they walk through the corridors of the ship towards Bery and Lenorr’s cabin, Acina tilts her head back and laughs. As the rest of the crew are all absent, it’s a sound that is not interrupted by anything else.  
“I still can’t believe you managed to smuggle alcohol into the cinema.”

Bery is leaning somewhat against Lenorr as they walk and aims a sly smile in Acina’s direction.  
“Why? Wasn’t that hard.”

“Perhaps not, but the rules stated that it was strictly forbidden. Do you know how meticulously the Empire would’ve guarded against such an act? You would’ve been caught in seconds.”

The twi’lek isn’t surprised that Acina would be used to stringent regulation, but it also sounds like she’s underestimating the Captain.  
Bery smirks and playfully pokes her side.  
“Excuse me? Are you saying that _I_ wouldn’t be able to smuggle something? You know who you’re talking to, right?”

Acina giggle once more, trying to get away from the hand that tickles her a bit.  
“Now that you mention it, that’s a good point. I suppose you would be one to try.”

On the other side, Lenorr emits an audible sigh.  
“She certainly would, as she does it all the time. Sometimes it’s for her own gain, other days it’s just because she can, to spite ‘the establishment’ or whatever. Breaking the rules is one of her favorite activities, apparently.”

Bery faces her girlfriend, leans further into he and lifts a hand to Lenorr’s jaw, to caress one of her facial spurs.  
“Well, duh. What fun are rules if you can’t break ‘em every now and then?”

“The purpose of rules is not to be fun. They are there as guidelines of conduct.”

“Wrong again, babe.”

“Well, I certainly didn’t have anything against it”, Acina confesses. “I don’t believe I have ever tried to commit a crime like this before, so this was kind of exciting.”

Bery turns towards her and runs a hand down along the Councilor’s arm.  
“Exciting? Tsk. Think you hang out too much in your lab, Riela. Need to get out more, you nerd.”

Acina tilts her head amusedly.  
“What, and get fined?”

“Sure, why not? Nothing wrong with getting the adrenaline pumping every now and then, right?”

“Sadly, such things are punished quite severely in the Empire, so the outcome is rarely as manageable as a simple fine.”

“Oh, true. Well, good thing you’re in charge then, right?”  
Another laugh. Both of them know that Acina wouldn’t misuse her powers like that, but it’s certainly fun to discuss.  
“By the way, your moves on the dancefloor earlier…gotta say, I was impressed. Not what I expected from a Sith.”

The praise certainly affects Acina and her expression brightens.  
“What, did you assume I would be entirely useless?”

“Can’t say it didn’t cross my mind. I mean, you’ve seen Lenorr dance, right?”

The pureblood narrows her eyes and pinches Bery’s forearm.  
“…that is not fair.”

Now it’s Bery’s turn to snicker, as she quickly retracts her arm.  
“What? It is, if someone actually checks you out. Don’t get me wrong – you’re hot, babe, just not smooth.”

For now, Lenorr does not dispute this comment.  
Eventually, they arrive at the door to the right cabin, which would seem to be the end of their joint journey. Acina faces them, but continues wandering backwards rather slowly, in order to move on.  
“Well then, I suppose we should part here. It’s probably for the best if I get some sleep. I do need to be rested when you return me to my ship tomorrow.”

Before she manages to get very far, however, Bery reaches out and captures her wrist in a gentle grip.  
“Whoa, hang on. Already? I mean, it’s not even that late.”

The motion was executed rather swiftly, showing more alertness than either of them thought she was capable of. Acina does halt her departure, though, and studies the Captain curiously.  
“Well, I suppose it’s not, but I shouldn’t stay up for too long. Don’t wish to be exhausted in the morning.  
Besides, what else would we do?”

Without hesitation, Bery nudges her head in the direction of the cabin door.  
“You don’t wanna take a look in there? Barely got the chance to, last time I gave ya a tour.”

It appears that the offer doesn’t just produce a lot of interest in Acina, but perhaps even small signs of underlying exhilaration. She glances between her two companions, to see if they both react similarly.  
“Is that alright? I wasn’t sure if it would be appropriate yet.”

Bery raises her eyebrow and smiles.  
“What, it wouldn’t be okay to see our room after like, three dates and months of flirting? Then when is the 'right time’?”

Acina lifts her other hand to the back of her neck and lowers her eyes, while she chuckles somewhat awkwardly.  
“Well…”

“Besides, we already stole ya away from the imperial fleet without their knowledge.” Bery drifts even closer, sliding her free arm down around Acina’s waist. “Might as well use up as much of your attention as we can, right?”

The touch is certainly not discouraged nor unwanted and the Councilor bites her lower lip in anticipation. It can’t be denied that she feels a similar desire and even though she usually prefers to take it slow, this has been slow enough.  
Acina turns to look at the other woman.  
“And…you are okay with this as well?”

Lenorr lets her eyes drift between the two, before she too closes the distance between them and shrugs casually.  
“Well, we’ve…already done a lot of things together. I don’t see the harm in this.”

Letting them take charge of the situation, Acina feels how Bery’s fingers slip around her own and with a confident smile, the Captain leads her towards the cabin.  
“C’mon then, beautiful. Let’s give ya the VIP tour.”

As they enter together, the room is only partially illuminated, giving off a slightly cozy aura. Once Acina hears how the door closes and locks behind her, she decides to inspect the area further. She has been in here before, but only briefly. During the last major visit months ago, she felt it might have been a bit too hasty and she is not one to disturb privacy. Now, the situation is different, and she takes a much more thorough look.

In here, she can see all sorts of items, from holoprojectors, terminals, numerous datapads, photos, miniature spacecrafts, holodisplays, a mini-fridge, shelves with data disks, personal belongings and more.  
It is one shelf in particular that attracts her interest and she approaches this wall.  
“Isn’t that the Badge of Endless Tenacity? From the Ziost’s academy?”

While Bery folds her arms and rests on the edge of a desk, Lenorr puts her own behind her back and remains by the door.  
“It is indeed. We went to my parent’s house only a few weeks ago and I decided to bring it with me. The Hypertrail is our home already, but I simply haven’t had the opportunity to decorate it with my old belongings.”

“Yeah, your parents weren’t crazy about me until recently”, Bery comments. “Didn’t wanna argue with them even more.”

Acina continues her stroll through the area and becomes quite intrigued by a few ornate objects and plaques practically lying in a pile on one of the corner shelves. Some of them have symbols that seem to depict spaceships.  
“What are these? Trophies?”

“Yup, those are mine. Awards from a bunch of flying contests.”

The Councilor takes a closer look and tilts her head. She does indeed see Bery’s name engraved in all of them.  
“Sharkos’Tal, Vintax, Lijjnat…I don’t recognize any of these places.”

She hears a snort from where the Captain is sitting.  
“Wouldn’t expect ya to either. I uh, used to compete in like, small competitions in the Outer Rim several years ago. They paid pretty well, and most people out there didn’t know anything about kids from Nar Shaddaa. Easy creds.”

Acina looks over her shoulder with a pleasant smile on her lips.  
“You used to race?”

“Yeah, I was into that sort of stuff for a while. Even won this ship in a contest, although that was for my shooting skills. Still, I used to like competing when I was younger.”

“Younger? You don’t look very old to me, Captain.”

Bery’s expression twists into a small grin.  
“Heh. More flattery, huh?”

“That too, but it wasn’t why I said it. You do appear fairly young to me.”

Bery shrugs.  
“I’m older than you think.”

That’s when Lenorr bumps her elbow into Bery’s side.  
“She’s not as old as she pretends to be. She’s not even 30.”

“Hey! Neither are you, so don’t be so smug. Just ‘cause you’re a couple of years older, that doesn’t mean you get to sass me.”

“I think I just did.”

Acina looks fairly amused at their behavior, as she usually enjoys that mischievous side of them. The difference between them and her doesn’t escape her, though.  
“Well, you are still young by most standards, Captain. You must have been flying since very early on, yes?”

Bery doesn’t need to consider it for long and shrugs in response.  
“Guess so, yeah. Probably for longer than what’s legal in many parts of the galaxy, but hutt laws are kinda outta whack.”

“I do remember that New Imperial ship you took down, which was absolutely phenomenal. Have you ever thought about competing in something bigger? There are some major contests in the Republic, aren't there?”

The Captain takes a deep breath, diverts her eyes and lets her lekku curl around her in a contemplative manner.  
“I mean, yeah, I have. Illy used to tell me that I should get into that sort of thing, but it wasn’t really for me. I didn’t like how they force you to give so much control to other people – agents, lawyers, mechanics, referees, entire teams…ugh.”

Her comment summons a skeptical reaction from Lenorr.  
“But don’t you have mechanics, administrators and an entire team now too? You even let Risha do most of the business-related work.”

“Yeah, sure, but that’s different. I picked my own team, got to know them and learned to trust them, one by one; well, almost all of ‘em, anyway. Because of this, I have more control over everything and I know I can rely on you, Risha, Akaavi, Guss and Bowie.  
Besides, fame was never really what I wanted.”

Acina has wandered off to another corner, but she still observes the belongings around her. She pauses her search when she hears this comment.  
“No? But you are famous now.”

Bery points at her.  
“Wrong – I’m rich and I have a reputation. People know my name, but not necessarily my face. Never liked the idea of exposing myself on the HoloNet. Don’t want every schmuck in the galaxy to recognize me.”

The Councilor chuckles.  
“Fair enough.” Shortly after, some photos that have been erected on a wall makes her smile. “This must be your families, correct? Are these your sisters, Bery?”

The twi’lek comes a bit closer, to make sure that no embarrassing ones have accidentally been put up.  
“Yup, they are. The one on the left there is Tia’sin and Ilova is in the center. This was a few years ago, before I became Queen of the underworld.”

Acina lifts her hand and gently strokes a finger on the frame, not wanting to disturb the image too much.  
“You look very cute together. A wonderful family.”

“Heh, thanks. And hey, if you prefer, I’m sure we could set up a meeting with ‘em someday. Though Illy can be uh…let’s say ‘difficult’ with my girlfriends. Just ask Lenorr.”

The pureblood shakes her head.  
“That’s an understatement.”

The fact that a Dark Councilor should be scared of some gang leader is quite an amusing fact to Acina, but when Bery and her family are concerned, perhaps it shouldn’t come as a surprise.  
She proceeds after this, observing some pictures with the other Sith instead.  
“And these are yours, Lenorr? You look magnificent in most of them too, as expected. And I have to say-“  
She stops when she notes one particular person in a photo on the opposite end of the wall.  
“Hold on, is that…Vowrawn standing next to your parents?”

Lenorr clears her throat awkwardly.  
“Well…he was my superior at one point. And he is a close friend to my family too.”

“I know, but he’s also my colleague”, she states and then directs an ardent gaze towards Lenorr, “and a potential rival.”

The pureblood stares back at her, being unsure what that look is supposed to signify or if it’s meant to convince her of something. She’s somewhat uncomfortable either way.  
“…I’m not going to choose between you.”

The comment manages to summon a sly smile on Acina’s lips and the Councilor turns to slowly saunter over to Lenorr’s position. When she’s in place, she puts her hand on the pureblood’s chest and caresses her intently. The gaze has now intensified.  
“Are you saying that you would potentially choose him over me, Lenorr?”

It’s not like she is afraid of Acina, quite the opposite. Instead, she now realizes that this woman is capable of affecting her emotions and desires, which Lenorr can’t tell whether it’s through the Force or by mere show of willpower. Either way, she swallows.  
“Well, I…I mean, I didn’t say-“

She’s interrupted when Acina places a hand on her cheek and strokes it in a soft fashion.  
“You wound me, dear.”

At the same time, the Councilor is leaning into her companion, trying to make a point. Lenorr feels herself becoming somewhat weakened in the process and she looks to Bery for help. Unfortunately, the Captain is having too much fun with it and merely shrugs.  
“Hey, don’t look at me. You got yourself into this situation, pal. It’s all on you.”

Finally realizing that there’s no use in fighting it, Lenorr sighs and slumps her shoulders in defeat.  
“…I suppose if I had to choose, I wouldn’t pick him.”

This makes Acina giggle, before she seizes Lenorr’s chin, pulls her down and kisses her cheek softly.  
“Glad to see I can still be convincing.  
Now then, I heard something about a collection of novels owned by the Captain of this ship. Is that true? May I browse them?”

Bery’s self-satisfaction suddenly evaporates and is replaced with a shocked sensation instead.  
“Uh…well, yeah, but we don’t have to-“

Lenorr interrupts her.  
“Actually, I can show you. She’s hiding them within in a datapad in this corner over here. All of them are rather cliché too.”

“What?! They’re not!”  
Before the pureblood can guide Acina in that direction, Bery quickly rushes up to her, grabs the Councilor’s arm and spins her around.  
“You know what? I have a better idea. Why don’t we try on some clothes, huh? It must be kinda warm in all that gear, right?”

While Acina would’ve enjoyed teasing the Captain some more, she decides to indulge her.  
“That does sound like an intriguing prospect. Do you have a wardrobe somewhere?”

“Yup, it’s right over here, on the other side. Got all kinds of stuff.”

They approach a small button by one of the walls and when Bery pushes it, a thin door slides open, revealing a fairly sizeable area with all kinds of drawers, lockers and hangers. With her interest rising, Acina decides to inspect the contents, finding party outfits, dresses, shoes, some of Lenorr’s old robes and uniforms, along with a bunch of Bery’s attires, particularly the vests. She lifts up one of the latter.  
“Hmm. I do wonder if I would look decent in an outfit like this.”

“Well, why don’t you try it on?”

Acina glances sideways at the other woman.  
“You don’t mind?”

“Not at all. I used to share clothes with my sisters and buddies back on Nar Shaddaa all the time. Pick some out and let’s give it a shot.”

The idea sounds a bit silly, but Acina doesn’t really care at this point. She’s enjoying the opportunity of being around these two as much as possible.  
The two grab some appropriate choices and move over towards Bery and Lenorr’s decently-sized bed, to place the items on top.  
“I can’t remember doing this myself.”

“Don’t worry, you’ll be fine. Though, you do kinda have to uh…” She slowly slips one of her arms around Acina’s waist once more. “…you know, get all this gear off. It’ll just be in the way otherwise.”

Suddenly, without any of them commenting on it, the heat in the room seemingly increases. Lenorr coughs, trying to hide some of her embarrassment, as she realizes Bery’s fairly blatant intention.  
In the meantime, Acina inspects the hand grasping her body with interest, before redirecting her eyes to Bery’s brown ones. She may be kind of drunk, but she can still feel herself blushing in reaction to this action, even more so when she smiles.

“Do you…have a place for me to get changed?”

“Mhm.” Bery pats the bed. “Get seated and I’ll take care of ya.”

Lenorr sighs and runs a hand over her face.  
“…you aren’t subtle, are you?”

At this point, Acina has a choice. She can decline the offer and leave the room, with hopefully no drastic repercussions. They are all adults here, so it should be understandable. The other option would of course be to accept it and anything that follows. Thankfully, she already knows what she wants.  
Acina turns around and displays her back.  
“There are a few zippers and belts on this robe. Can you…help me with them?”

With an increasingly smug expression, Bery slides in behind the human and pushes her chest up against the back. Gradually and deliberately, she begins to open up the attire, revealing Acina’s smooth and pale skin beneath it, with only the underwear covering her in any way. Her build is a bit thicker than Bery’s, and there are a few marks further down over some locations on her body, which can be identified as scars.

Bery finds a particular one, on the lower end of her stomach, which she pokes at, producing a light gasp from Acina, due to not being prepared for the touch.  
“Is that from our last fight together?”

“No, it’s an older one. Not…one of my finer moments, I will admit.”

“Oh, don’t you worry, gorgeous. I like scars.”

Without any forewarning, Bery leans down while still standing behind the other woman and guides her lips to Acina’s neck, kissing it tenderly. While her hands continue to roam further down, her mouth takes a trip across the Councilor’s jawline, neck and down to her collarbone. In reaction to it all, Acina merely shuts her eyes and bites her lips, but doesn’t struggle. She too has been awaiting this.  
Bery’s grasping fingers begin at the hips, unhurriedly travel across the stomach, but then divert down towards her thighs instead.

As she hasn’t had someone perform anything like this to her in a few years, Acina is enjoying herself immensely. Her heart tells her to simply revel in it, to not question anything, but there is an inner voice which disturbs this bliss. There are still questions.  
“Are you certain this is fine?”, she whispers.

Bery just reached the left collarbone, but when she hears the inquiry, she lets her mouth drift up towards the ear and nibbles at the lobe.  
“Why wouldn’t it be?”

“Well…am I not too old for you?”

Not quite the kind of question she had anticipated, which is why she snorts.  
“Too old? Where’d you get that crap from?”

“I must be at least a decade ahead of you.”

“Something like that, I guess.”  
She tilts her head to the side and places a hand on Acina’s chin, turning her face so that their eyes can meet.  
“But no, I don’t care. Age never mattered to me and with a woman like you, how can I resist?”

Acina offers her a gentle and perhaps even grateful smile.  
“Not everyone would agree.”

“Well, they can fuck off. This is about us.”

Bery relocates, slips down into her bed and places her arms around Acina’s waist, to the pull the almost fully naked human into her lap. As their bodies collide and Bery’s hands eagerly begin to fondle her, Acina rests her own arms around the twi’lek’s neck. After she shuts her eyes, Acina guides her lips to Bery’s and they lock in the first properly passionate kiss that they’ve shared since this began.

They do not remain entirely undisturbed, though. From behind, Acina feels how someone unhooks her bra and she glances over her shoulder to see how the pureblood has joined them.  
“Hello there”, she says slyly, before kissing Acina’s cheek.

“Oh, I…hope you don’t think I was ignoring you.”

With a smile, Lenorr spanks her gently and somewhat playfully.  
“Not at all. But make some room, will you?”

Soon, all three of them descend into the bed together, as the Councilor finds herself captured between the welcoming grasps of two lovely and enthusiastic women.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _Yeah, in my stories, Acina is currently in her late 30s or so. She'll be in her early 40s by the time that Kotfe begins._   
> 


	28. Endurable

Heat, hair, sweat and remnants of other liquids stain the sheets. As Bery falls back onto the soft material of the pillows, breathing out in a heavy fashion, she practically drops into a whole heap of it, but she either doesn’t mind or doesn’t care. It’s not like she is unused to delving into physical pleasure, far from it. She is one of those who has always believed that sex is not just enjoyable, but useful, to alleviate tension, worry or stress. Doesn’t work for everyone, but it’s an undeniable remedy for her. Today’s excursion is just a little special.

The floor around the bed is littered with discarded clothes, both ones that she and her companions were wearing, as well as the stuff Bery convinced Acina to inspect. This act was, of course, all a scheme, which apparently worked flawlessly.  
Luckily, the Dark Councilor doesn’t seem to have minded and when she joins the Captain’s side, she slips her arms around the other naked woman. Acina nuzzles her cheek and caresses Bery’s stomach affectionately.

“Tired, Captain?”, she whispers and kisses the cheek.

Bery’s eyes are still closed and as she’s panting, the laughter she emits is rather breathy.  
“What, doubting my stamina?”

“I would never claim such a thing, my dear…but your body might”, she teases.

“Bah, banthashit.” The Captain laughs again. “But okay, yeah, that was pretty amazing. I mean, Lenorr can be exciting enough, but getting devoured by two Sith? More exhausting than they claim.”

Acina opens her eyes halfway, smirks and arches her brow.  
“Oh? What rumors about Sith have you been listening to?”

“Mostly crap ones from Nar Shaddaa. None of ‘em mention how frisky you get, though.”

The Councilor chuckles.  
“Well, ‘there is only passion’, as they say.”

From the other side of the bed, another woman comes sliding in. Lenorr smiles as she pulls a hand around Bery’s legs, caressing the twi’lek’s thighs, while kissing her temple. The free hand takes the opportunity to stroke her fingertips over the nearby lek that curls and unfurls.  
“I did warn you, dear. Shouldn’t mess with something you don’t believe you can handle. But if two Sith are too much work for you, I’m sure we can proceed without-“

Before she can end the sentence, Bery raises a hand to seize Lenorr’s chin and pulls her down.  
“Hey, no one said anything about giving up! I just need a breather, alright? No one gets the better of a Shodem.”

As these two women collide in another hungry kiss, one out of many since this pleasurable journey began, Acina merely watches them with amused eyes, before she lays her head on Bery’s chest.  
“It’s probably wise to get some rest. Wouldn’t want to overload our dear Captain, now would we?”

To give Bery some space too, Lenorr lies down and allows the twi’lek to rest in her strong arms.  
“That’s Bery in a nutshell – all speed and little endurance.”

They hear the Captain gasping in a feigned indignant fashion.  
“Fuck you!”

“You just did.”

The Councilor suddenly emits a loud and thoroughly satisfied laughter, which is followed by shorter and sweeter ones by the other two. When she has settled down, Acina shuts her eyes and feels a wave of bliss coming over her.  
“This is very comforting, somehow. I haven’t slept or been with anyone in quite a while. Can’t even remember the last occasion. Years, maybe?”

“Really?”, Bery asks.

“Well, it’s not as if I didn’t want to, but it simply became too much of a hassle. Finding the right one, flirting, dating…I couldn’t push all of this into my schedule in an appropriate fashion, even less so after gaining my new position.”

Due to their close proximity, Acina can also sense how Bery’s other lek brushes against her back, though it’s hard to tell if she’s doing this on purpose, or if this is a merely an instinctive move. At the same time, the Captain also runs a hand through Acina’s long brown hair, while it is hanging freely. The sweat has made it somewhat tangled, though.  
“Mm, it’s a lil bit weird. For me, anyway.”

“Your views on sex are quite liberal, though”, Lenorr points out.

“For you, maybe. I just don’t see a reason to make a fuss about it. Even when I’m not ‘with’ anyone, I always try to find some lady to have fun with. Doesn’t have to be a big deal.”

The Councilor soon reopens her eyes and their attention is focused on markings along Bery’s abdomen and hips. She doesn’t have quite as many scars, not visibly anyhow, but she does have a bunch of tattoos. Their sharp and jagged shapes follow much of the outlines for the twi’lek’s form, which Acina feels merely increases her beauty.  
“Hmm, not sure I can say the same. The timing for my first occasion in bed with any partner usually varies on a number of factors. This certainly wasn’t the earliest one, though.”

“Guess I can understand why you’d wanna wait, but I think that’s boring. It’s just another part of a relationship, if you ask me. I usually get to the fun stuff very early on, if not right away. This one might be my slowest process yet.”

Her words are spoken without hesitation, but Lenorr doesn’t really share her certainty, which is why she looks so skeptical.  
“Hold on. What about ours? We must have spent at least a year or so before there was any…you know, action involved.”

Bery tilts her head up to gaze at her taller girlfriend, while a smirk crawls onto her face.  
“Babe, you’re not counting all that time we spent as enemies, are ya? I mean, sure, had you been up to it, I’d have probably let you take me right on a desk in that station, or maybe even the first party we went to, but it wasn’t ideal.”

Lenorr rolls her eyes, but feels a little bit stupid. Remembering those days are pretty weird, when she tried to maintain the identity of Lord Tremor. Feels like a lifetime ago.  
“…alright, fine. Perhaps you have a point, but it was still a lengthy path!”

Apparently, there’s something that intrigued Bery even further and her smirk grows into a grin, as she lifts a hand and caresses the pureblood’s cheek.  
“So, finally admitting that we flirted all those months, huh? ‘bout time.”

Lenorr stares back at Bery to begin with, but soon has to divert her eyes out of slight embarrassment.  
“…I didn’t say that”, she mutters.

“But like, technically, we pretty much fucked right away. I opened the door to your cell, gave you a short tour and then we hopped into bed. That’s what happened.”

Lenorr opens her mouth to protest, but this instinct comes before any actual useful arguments. She can’t come up with any that will help her in this instance and therefore sighs in defeat.  
“…dammit, why do you have to be right?”

Bery chuckles and turns her head to plant a kiss on Lenorr’s chest, as her head is too far away.  
“’cause I’m irresistible, gorgeous.”

They let the silence and stillness overtake them once more, wallowing in the gratifying aftermath of their activities. For two of them, this is a pretty common occurrence, a state they enter on a regular basis in between work and an aspect that helps them deal with all the problems around them. For Acina, it is a refreshing and captivating addition to her otherwise rather hectic life and something she could definitely learn to get used to. She wants to, without a doubt.

Unfortunately, there are few facets of life that can remain undisturbed by uncertainty.  
“So”, Acina eventually says softly, breaking the venerated quiet, “I suppose we should talk about the big question. What happens now?”

Bery was almost on the verge of falling asleep, but her eyes flutter open and she takes a deep breath, trying to remain focused on the words offered.  
“What do you mean?”

“Well, like I already implied, for me this is sort of a progression in our relationship. I only ever reveal this part of me to someone I feel completely comfortable with, that I trust and cherish. In that sense, this is an important step.”  
She gently strokes her cheek along Bery’s stomach, which she’s almost lying on top of.  
“This experience is also somewhat new to me. I can’t remember when or if I’ve ever had a relationship with two people at once.”

They hear a brief snort from Lenorr.  
“You’re not alone.”

“Heh”, says Bery. “Guess you’ve had similar experiences, huh? Well, not gonna judge ya or anything. If you want to look at it that way, feel free. Suppose I just have a different mindset. I’ve never considered relationships having any ‘levels’ or whatever. Pretty pointless, really. You’re either with someone or you’re not. Sex is just something fun – and very satisfying – to do.”

If she looks at it from this perspective, Acina has to admit it’s much easier and less problematic to be together. Then again, how far does that reach?  
“Wait, does that mean you saw us as something more long ago?”

Bery shrugs.  
“Kinda, yeah. Once we started dating, you were our girlfriend and that fact hasn’t changed. Was just wondering when you wanted to join us in here. I mean, I basically made you an honorary member of my crew, right? No need to be shy whenever you visit.”

Turning her head around, Acina now gazes at Bery’s face and smiles.  
“That’s true, I suppose and I’m very grateful.”

After another small pause, Lenorr senses that she has ruminated about her opinion too and needs to express her emotions in some way.  
“I might be on the same page as you, Riela, perhaps even a bit more…conservative. I actually discussed this subject with Bery not too many months ago and I still don’t quite know how I feel. Having two girlfriends, actually dating, being with someone we also work with – all of it was…confusing. Even worse was the fact that we’re both Sith. I didn’t want to overwhelm Bery.”

The twi’lek giggles and lifts a hand to playfully poke Lenorr’s nose.  
“Yeah, you’re stupid like that. Adorable, but silly.”

Neither are surprised at Bery’s laidback opinion. She rarely seems to worry about the dangerous prospects, even when she’s surrounded by them. Acina is quicker to acknowledge this fact.  
“I see what you mean, for several reasons. And, well, I can’t promise you that being with me will not involve perils. The Empire is in a state of flux and we will continue to shift, but rivals still exist out there. They will target me and consequently, you might be included in this turmoil.”

Lenorr’s breathes out through her nose.  
“Figured.”

In contrast, Bery just shrugs.  
“Meh. I’m not scared.”

“However”, Acina continues, “at least the Dark Council won’t care, since neither of you are high-ranked Sith.”

“What, would they have tried to stop us if we were?”

“Possibly, yes. Relationships between important Sith, especially fellow Dark Councilors, is a very…convoluted interaction. There is a whole complicated procedure if one wishes to indulge that type of romance. Documents have to be signed, concessions have to be made, certain laws may have to be circumvented or accommodated depending on the circumstances etc.”

Bery considers it for a second, before she laughs.  
“Stars. Sith and their power struggles.”

After a few moments, Acina turns around and sits up a bit, resting against her elbows, so that she can face both of them. She’s still lying slightly on top of Bery, though.  
“I should ask, is it okay with you if I begin listing you in certain places?”

“Such as?”, Lenorr inquiries.

“Oh, you know, lists of ‘important people to contact in case of emergency’. I already have my parents and brother on those, but I’d like to add both of you.”

Bery raises her eyebrow in a puzzled fashion.  
“Uh, what kinda list is that? The Empire has those?”

“Of course. If I get hurt or lost or anything adversely happens to me, they’ll contact you.”

“Huh. Hutts never cared about that, but guess it’s a good precaution. I wouldn’t mind, if you wanna do that.”

Lenorr nods in agreement.  
“Neither would I. It’s…an honor that you would view us that way.”

Acina smiles amusedly and gently caresses her cheek.  
“No need to involve honor. It’s only administration.  
It’s not just for emergencies, though. I also wish to put you on other ones, that can grant you access to areas which would otherwise be strictly limited to imperial personnel. And then, if they spot your names in official documents tied to me, people might be less prepared to question seeing us in public together. Well, relatively public.”

It’s almost scary to even make the offer, that they might one day walk together on the streets of Dromund Kaas without any obstructions. Bery looks particularly intrigued about something related.  
“Ooh, does this mean we get to visit your home too? Cuz I’m definitely up for that!”

She receives a slight and a bit hesitant laugh in response.  
“Well…I suppose that could be arranged. I don’t often use my apartment, due to work stealing so much of my time. My cleaning droid is practically the only activity in there.”

Bery’s grin suddenly returns and grows even larger.  
“That so? Well, you know what that means, right?”

Acina glances around searchingly in slight confusion.  
“…should I?”

The twi’lek redirects her hands and tries to tickle her shorter girlfriend.  
“We’re gonna have a party at your place!”

Acina can’t stop herself from snickering in reaction, while trying to squirm.  
“Are we?”

Lenorr shuts her eyes and shakes her head.  
“…this sounds like a terrible idea.”

“Too bad, because we’re doin’ it!”, Bery insists.

Once Acina has managed to seize the hands and holds them down on the bed, so they don’t tease her anymore, she refocuses on Bery’s face.  
“I don’t even know who to invite! Nor how to plan such an event.”

“Bah, don’t worry! I’ll call Risha, she’s got contacts. She knows tons of party planners, DJs, bouncers, the whole deal. As for guests, we can always call mine and Lenorr’s friends, some people I know in the underworld, maybe some imperials. Could try the Dark Council too.”

Lenorr and Acina quickly glances at one another, before they both show Bery very stern gazes.  
“No”, they say in unison.

“Really bad idea”, Lenorr adds.

“Inviting any Councilors sounds like a recipe for disaster”, Acina insists.

Bery laughs at their reactions, almost cackling.  
“You two are so boring! Who the fuck cares about their positions? This stuff is what makes Sith so damn stiff.”

She gains a rather skeptical gaze from Lenorr.  
“You were the one who specified members of the Council.”

Acina sighs and shuts her eyes.  
“…maybe this ‘public’ suggestion of mine was an ill-advised choice.”

“Yup!”, Bery exclaims. “And now you can’t convince me otherwise. In fact, lemme have a chat with Imperius. She likes me and Lenorr can talk to Vowrawn. Cuz you know what? The Empire better get used to us and the fun we’re gonna have.”

Despite how absolutely delusional the idea sounds to her, it does at least make Acina laugh. She pushes herself up to Bery’s level, wraps arms around her neck and kisses her in an eager fashion.  
“You may be overwhelming, Captain, but you’re a wonderful woman. I admit that we might need someone like you.”

The overarching imperial angle gives Lenorr a few ideas too.  
“Now that you mention it”, says Lenorr, “don’t be surprised if you get some calls from Nidesa and the rest of my family, Riela. I assume you’re aware of how important ceremonies and rituals are on Ziost.”

Acina’s lips curl into a more tender expression as she nods.  
“Indeed. I grew up there, so I attended many events like that with my friends. I actually took the opportunity to study some of Evintok’s traditions recently.”

Lenorr widens her eyes in surprise.  
“You did?”

“Naturally. We were drifting ever closer and I felt like I needed to be fully aware of what is required.”

“That’s…well, I guess I hadn’t expected such dedication.”

Next to her, Bery smirks.  
“Heh. Getting ready to be a part of the family, huh?”

“Sort of”, the Councilor admits. “And so should you. I know you’ve only met Lenorr’s parents so far, but there is much more to see.”

Mimicking Acina’s previous expression, Bery softens to a smile, as she embraces the human and pulls both her and Lenorr into a hug.  
“I know. And if there’s anything you need, Riela, just ask. We’ll be there.”

“Always”, Lenorr adds.

The words, even if few, fills Acina with warmth and hope, two very welcoming prospects. She leans further into both of them, absorbing the loving emotions and feelings she senses.  
“Then I offer the same to you. As a Dark Councilor, there is much I can do and you shall have anything I can give.”

“Sounds like a pretty damn sweet deal to me”, Bery agrees.  
That they’d actually end up being like this seemed like a distant thought back when they first met and now after everything they’ve endured together, it’s weird to even consider another outcome.  
That said, there’s still one more untouched angle here.  
“Hey uh, isn’t your Emperor gone or something?”

Acina directs her eyes towards Bery and raises her brow.  
“Not completely gone, but absent, yes. It’s still unclear whether he’s dead or not.”

“Yeah, whatever. Like, now that he’s not around, what’s the rules about succession? Also, can that person be a woman?”

Once more, the two Sith turn to each other, as the implication here is fairly blatant. While Acina laughs, Lenorr shakes her head in disbelief.  
“…I thought you didn’t want an empire”, the latter states.

“Never said I did, but sleeping with an Empress is the ultimate bragging right.”


	29. History of compromise

Everything is the same and yet completely different. After their first actual proper night together, it’s not like the flirting between the trio ended, quite the opposite. It became more frequent, more palpable, with more messages and calls being exchanged when physical interaction wasn’t available. Bery doesn’t really treat the whole scenario differently than she has up until this stage, but the human and the pureblood are suddenly more excited at the prospect, feeling like they now don’t have to hold back.

Even though their schedules are often full, they are doing all they can to find days and nights where they can share a meal, watch holovids or just sit and bask in each other’s presence. It’s exciting and terrifying all at the same time, knowing that their possibilities have expanded. Lenorr’s worries have waned, though not completely disappeared, while Acina has become so much more relaxed. Sometimes she even becomes distracted at her job or Dark Council meetings, because she can’t stop thinking about what to do next.

While locating days where each of them can get together in private isn’t always easy, they are often willing to adapt, such as using work-related activities as an excuse to also hang out. Today happens to be one such occasion.  
Risha had called the Hypertrail over to Port Zodric, as she wanted to speak about something very specific and perhaps even critical. It was related to their discussions regarding Silcore, which prevented Bery from hesitating. It’s high time that this issue is dealt with once and for all.

Hoping that Acina might find some excuse to join them, Bery called the Councilor and let her know of their next stop and the Sith didn’t disappoint; she quickly concocted an idea. There were certain matters regarding illegal spread of imperial designs and schematics that someone needed to investigate in neutral space, especially a location like Zodric. Now, normally, they’d just send an agent or some kind of officer, but Acina insisted that only a skilled engineer’s eyes could see the difference. Who would be more appropriate than the Sphere of Technology’s chief? With her girlfriends’ help, she could easily go there in secret too.

What none of them had expected was how eager and ardent Risha would be to discuss the issue, that she actually comes down to the hangar in person once they’ve landed. That she’d bring company was also an unanticipated development.  
The Queen-in-hiding and her companion is still at a distance when they spot how one of the hatches to the Hypertrail opens and the twi’lek walks out first. Shortly after, she politely extends her hand to the human. Acina seems quite amused at the act, but happily accepts the offer, so that she can seamlessly walk over the threshold.

“How chivalrous of you, my dear”, she says, mirth in her voice.

While she hadn’t planned to do anything else, Bery now bows, only slightly mocking her girlfriend, before she kisses the back of her hand.  
“Anything for you, Supreme Empress of tech junkies. Especially since you insisted on wearing such large and awkward robes.”

Acina may roll her eyes, but a smirk still adorns her lips. Her current clothes aren’t ridiculously unwieldy, but the outermost article is a few sizes above her normal one and the hood is large enough to bury her head, should she prefer to.  
“I felt that this would conceal my appearance better, when we wander the promenade later.  
And junkie? I’m not _that_ obsessed, you know.”

“Oh yeah? So the stuff you were reading on the datapad last night wasn’t a long HoloNet forum thread about the latest upgrades to the Ventra-GDL 45.276 model hyperdrive?”

The Councilor stops for a moment, diverts her gaze in slight embarrassment and clears her throat.  
“Well…there may have been a leak. But it was exciting news for everyone! They say that the upgraded power converters will decrease downtime and recharge capabilities between jumps by a whole 0.725 seconds. That’s twice the yield from the last release. If they gave me the chance to look closer, I could-“

Bery has no interest in listening further and puts her hands on the human’s cheeks, pulling her into a most fervent kiss. Acina does enjoy the intimacy, of course, enough to plant her own fingers around Bery’s waist, although she knows the main purpose of this act is mischievous in nature.  
“Shut up, nerd”, the Captain says playfully, after their lips part.

After this has occurred, Lenorr joins her girlfriends, glancing between them skeptically. While Bery wears her usual vest, shirt and tight pants combo, the pureblood has opted for a jacket and some looser jeans, with a scarf around her neck. Won’t exactly hide the fact of what she is, but at least she looks like a civilian and not a Dark Lord.  
“Why must you always mock her? Is it wrong to be passionate about something?”

The concern is appreciated, though Acina doesn’t look like she was offended. Bery chooses to poke her taller girlfriend’s stomach, trying to tickle her a bit.  
“It’s just a joke, babe. You know what that is, right?”

Lenorr is not amused, though she’s more than willing to counterattack.  
“Yes, it’s one of those concepts that you are so awful at, isn't it?”

“Hey, not true! I tell the best jokes. Ask Guss, he’ll back me up.”

“Don’t be so sure. After training him for the last year, he grovels a lot less.”

It doesn’t happen very often that Lenorr gets the upper hand and she certainly wouldn’t mind continuing to tease the poor Captain, but both hers and Acina’s attention are drawn away, reacting to an unmistakable presence.  
Their heads slowly turn towards the direction where they see Risha coming, but it’s not the mechanic they’re intrigued by. This human is holding the hand of another person walking in somewhat lighter robes. It’s a togruta, who hasn’t yet noted the exact type of individuals waiting at the hatch. This is why they get to witness how she kisses Risha’s cheek affectionately, as the two speak in hushed tones about something.

“Oh”, Lenorr states plainly and somewhat awkwardly. “Well, that’s…hmm.”

Acina tilts her head curiously.  
“Who is that? Feels like…”

Bery blinks confusedly, before she turns in the direction they’re viewing and understands the predicament.  
“Huh. Sumalee? Didn’t know you’d be here.”

When the two other women turn to their friends, they’re smiling at first, but this evaporates as they realize who’s with them.  
“Erm, I was told to expect you and Lenorr”, Sumalee tells the Captain.

Amusement begins to overtake the Dark Councilor, who folds her arms and slowly descends the ramp.  
“And what do we have here? Another Force user, but certainly not a Sith.”

She may not step back, but Sumalee does halt her stride, forcing Risha to do the same, due to their intertwined hands.  
“Uh, Darth Acina”, the human states carefully. “Lovely to…see you? I wasn’t informed that you’d be coming with our ship.”

“I know, it was rather impromptu, to be honest. But Bery gave me an opportunity and I never turn down an offer for a ride into a business center such as this.”

Sumalee’s stance gets increasingly more rigid, the closer that Acina gets. She glances up at the twi’lek that follows.  
“Do you make a habit of bringing Dark Councilors to this station, Captain?”

Bery’s lekku twitches somewhat tentatively and she makes sure to check the area. Droids, dock workers, pilots and traders are everywhere, but luckily, no one is looking in their direction. Probably too busy with their own personal assignments and problems. She hopes it stays that way, as Acina’s arrival should remain as hidden as possible.  
“Not usually, but…well, this was a special occasion.”

Risha views both of the Force users, seeing that their eyes are turned sharply at one another, green colliding with orange.  
“Well, if you have any concerns, lord Acina, I assure you that there is no reason for you to fret. You see-“

Unfortunately, Bery has never been one to embrace tact. When she gets down to the floor, she looks at Acina and gestures at the togruta with a thumb.  
“This is Risha’s girlfriend. She’s a Jedi.”

Risha’s eyes shut instinctively and she lifts her other hand to cover them.  
“…smooth, Shodem.”

Bery merely shrugs rather nonchalantly in response.  
“Hey, we should be casual about this, to not create scene, right? Besides, I don’t see a problem. Who cares, anyway? The whole Sith-Jedi divide is so pointless and stupid.”

Barring Lenorr, it’s difficult for anyone to truly realize what goes on when the Master and the Dark Councilor stare at one another, as it’s impossible to see much more than a certain measure of tension. But when the Force is involved, who can tell for sure?  
It takes a moment or two for her to tear herself away, but Acina does eventually glance sideways at the twi’lek.

“I might agree to a certain extent, but our clashes are not without cause. We have very different sets of beliefs.”

“Yeah, pretty much”, Sumalee concurs. “You may not understand, Captain, but you can’t just tell us to get along.”

Bery folds her arms and rolls her eyes.  
“Seems to work with you and Lenorr, right? You don’t try to rip out her throat every time we meet.”

“I feel confident enough to tell you that this is different. Lenorr is a freelancer, while this woman is one of the leaders among our enemies.”

“So, what, you wanna fight it out here in the middle of Zodric? Is that what you’re gonna do?”

The Councilor lifts her arms to alleviate such thoughts.  
“Now, calm yourself, dear. I never stated that I wished to fight.” She looks at the togruta and offers her hand.  
“Perhaps official introductions are in order? Darth Acina, from the Sphere of Technology.”

Sumalee is clearly uncomfortable at first and she even glances at her girlfriend, to see what Risha’s reaction might be. She merely shrugs in response.  
No choice but to accept the proposal and their hands lock in a firm grip.  
“Sure, I guess. Sumalee, Master in the Jedi Order.”

“Hmm, I see. I must unfortunately confess that I don’t recognize your name. Though, you appear to be quite young for one of a Master’s rank.”

“Wouldn’t have expected you to; I’m not exactly prominent in the Order. And I think most would say you’re pretty young for your position too.”

This brings a smile onto Acina’s lips.  
“Oh, why thank you. I believe Zhorrid and Imperius are better examples of exceptionally young Councilors, but I shall take what I can get.”

Before she can respond, Sumalee feels how someone pokes her side, as Risha is viewing her skeptically.  
“I don’t wanna hear you say that you’re not a Jedi of note. You’re still really talented. And who knows? Maybe you’ll be Grand Master someday.”

The togruta arches her brow in response.  
“It’s not a competition.” She shifts back to the Sith. “But I must admit that I was aware of your role even beforehand. I’ve had files on you for a while.”

“Is that so?”, asks Acina. “I didn’t know Jedi were this informed.”

“Well, we’re not completely oblivious, but the Republic kinda has a list of…main enemies, I guess we can call ‘em. And I’m also involved with the Republic’s subtler eyes and ears.”

“That would explain it.  
Well, I can tell you right here and now, despite our opposite positions in the war, that I do not wish to fight you, master Sumalee. I don’t have anything inherently against Jedi, and I certainly don’t harbor any desire to harm someone close to miss Drayen. She’s a lovely negotiator and a friend of these two women, who are incredibly important to me.”

There is only a slight gesture at Bery and Lenorr, something that isn’t actually needed.  
Sumalee briefly hesitates at this request, thinking it sounds fair, but also wonders what her superiors would say if they ever find out. She has a duty to stop the Empire and here is one of its foremost leaders. Shouldn’t she act? But then, how would Risha feel about that? Can she really hurt her girlfriend’s trust to this degree?

“Well, I didn’t exactly come here to wage war or anything, although I can’t ignore the fact that you’re still Sith.  
I…guess you’re not at the top of the list regarding those we need to hunt down. You’re not a war criminal either, as far as I know.”

“Engineers rarely are. Unless they develop super weapons, and that’s not really my forte.”

Their discussion is temporarily interrupted, as Risha lifts a hand to Sumalee’s cheek and diverts her attention, allowing them to look at each other.  
“You sound hesitant. Don’t tell me you actually want to fight.”

“…didn’t say that”, Sumalee mumbles.

“But you’re not denying it either.”

Several seconds drift by, as their two gazes meet and the further it’s prolonged, the more disapproving Sumalee feels like Risha is getting. Is she going to start pouting too? That seems like a silly and yet weirdly effective strategy.  
Eventually, the Jedi sighs and raises her hands in the air.  
“Okay, fine, I give up. I promise I’m not going to cause any trouble, no matter what you intend to do. As long as you don’t attack any Republic citizens, I guess.”

“Let me reassure you then, that my only interest is exploring what wares exist on this station and to gather some information”, the Councilor reveals.

As an unspoken reward, Sumalee receives a kiss on the cheek from her beloved.  
“I’m pleased that you’d do this for me.”

The Jedi rolls her eyes.  
“Tsk, you think I stood down for you? Don’t be stupid.”

Risha nudges her nose into the cheek.  
“Not even a little?”, she asks suggestively.

“I’m a Jedi!”

“That’s not an answer.”  
Her attention is then refocused upon the crew of the Hypertrail.  
“Anyway, before you girls go anywhere, I want to have word with you. Not necessarily you, my lord, although as you know how we’re…connected, you’re free to come.”

Acina nods.  
“I’m not going anywhere without these two, so I shall follow.”

“Right, let’s board the ship.”  
They follow her instructions, walking back into the vessel belonging to their company and shut the hatch and blast doors behind them. They think this will be sufficient, but Risha doesn’t stop until they actually reach the bridge.  
“Bery, get us off the station.”

The twi’lek looks at her friend with confused eyes.  
“What? Why?”

“Because what we have to talk about is too important to stay inside this hangar. We don’t know who might be listening.”

“You want me to get us into hyperspace just to have a chat? How crazy listening gizmos do you think they have here?”

Risha exhales annoyedly and gestures at the exit.  
“We’re not leaving the system, idiot, I just want us to be out of range from the station’s sensors, that’s all.”

Despite her disbelief in the necessity, Bery complies. The engines ignite, the landing gear are folded back in and the thrusters slowly push them through the force field, out into the darkness of space. The distance they require isn’t extreme, as they mostly choose to drift in the relative vicinity. There are a couple of uninhabitable planets nearby, especially one gas giant, which they use to put in between themselves and Zodric. This should definitely be enough to prevent anyone from overhearing.

Being satisfied with this course of action, Risha turns to her companions.  
“So, let’s talk about what we’re really here for – Silcore.  
After a few more weeks, Cierah and Shariss have finally gotten back to me.”

“Cierah and Shariss?”, Acina inquries.

The other human merely holds up her hand.  
“Sorry, it’s a long story. They helped us get a lot of crucial intel on our rivals.  
Anyway, the two of them have studied all the acquired information and even managed to obtain a few more tidbits.”

Bery is the only one still sitting down, focusing on the various instruments of her bridge. She can easily do both this and talk simultaneously. She also snorts at the mention of that duo.  
“Have they really gotten along all this time?”

“As far as I know, yeah, though they haven’t actually been hanging out. But Shariss does refer to her as a friend.”

“Do we have a target?”, asks Lenorr.

Risha pushes her hand in under her jacket and pulls out a datapad.  
“We have a destination, but not necessarily an identity. However, both of them are confident that a third party is not just involved, but behind it all. It’s undeniable now. The threads, transactions, dates and aliases have been used to spin a very wide and very worrying web, which they’ve been able to work out a pattern to trace.  
I doubt anyone of you will be surprised when I say it leads to Zodric. The more alarming aspect is the fact that it is tied to one of the core areas of the station. Whomever the real thief is, their headquarters is nestled in the depths of Zodric’s internal databanks.”

She is correct that it’s not necessarily surprising, at least not to Lenorr and Bery, but that’s not to say they’re not concerned. In fact, both women show clear signs of apprehension.  
“So, what does that mean?”, Bery asks.

“Well, neither of the agents have been able to tell me who or what is involved, if Kemmet Vhir himself is aware of this development nor the type of tools this faceless bastard is using, but we have a goal.  
Not sure if you agree, Captain, but I suggest that we approach Silcore about this information directly.”

Bery leans back in her chair and tilts her head sideways towards Risha.  
“Isn’t that dumb? I mean, if we don’t know the identity of our bad guy, couldn’t Silcore be behind it?”

“Sure, they could be. In fact, anyone could be our culprit, but both agents and I seriously doubt it’s them. They’re victims here too.  
We should send them a message that we want to meet up and describe in detail what we have obtained, show them proof of our innocence. After that, we can offer them an alliance.” She hands the pad over to Bery, who starts to scroll through it. “The files on this device are pretty difficult to argue with, in my eyes. At the very least, it’ll make Silcore stop and think for a second.”

The Captain isn’t the only one with qualms here, as Lenorr isn’t fully convinced either.  
“Silcore hasn’t exactly been eager to listen so far. Why would that change now?”

“Because what we have here isn’t just fancy words or promises, but actual hard evidence. I mean, I’m not saying that will definitely convince Silcore of our honesty, but I think it’s the best chance we’ll ever get.”

Sumalee hadn’t been given all of the details for this dilemma yet either, but now that she has become aware, she walks closer to Risha, taking her hand once more.  
“Do you want me to stick around for this?”

She senses how Risha eagerly accepts the touch, caressing the hand in her own, but she also shakes her head.  
“No, that’s okay. In fact, it’s probably better if you don’t; they might get suspicious if there are even more Jedi and Sith around. It’s the opposite of what we’re trying to achieve.”

It appears Acina had been following a similar mindset, as she sighs in slight disappointment.  
“You make a good argument. I was going to offer imperial troops for this meeting of yours, but perhaps that’s unwise. If you prefer, I could still send over some resources, though.”

“That’s generous, my lord, but it’s not completely up to me.” She shifts her eyes towards the twi’lek. “If it was, though, I’d say we can handle ourselves without outside help.”

Bery meets the look she receives with a contemplative one of her own. There’s obviously a lot to think about here, a tremendous amount of opportunities at risk if they make the wrong decision.  
“Yeah, you’re right”, she eventually admits. “We should do it ourselves. Still dunno if it’ll actually work, but it’s worth a shot. Anything to get those bastards off our backs sounds good to me.  
Before we get into it, me and Lenorr are gonna help Riela with some stuff first. You should make the preparations while we walk her around the station, Risha.”

The exiled Queen inclines her head.  
“I can do that. Probably have to call some contacts too.”

“Alright, then I guess it’s time to end this, people. Let’s show ‘em why they’re wrong about us and that we’re here to stay.”


	30. Trail to crumbled purity

The day and moment to finally deal with the complicated issue involving the Silcore syndicate has finally dawned. For the majority of those affected, it’s been a long time coming. It took a bunch of resources, thorough research, fervent laboring and a little grease, but the group now knows where to aim, located a target. A figurative one, that is.

Following the dispatched message, the response wasn’t instant. At least two days passed while the group waited, but one was eventually received. Not only that, the syndicate had accepted. None of them would claim it was against all odds, but luck hadn’t exactly been in their favor up until this point.  
The one clause that Silcore issued was for any meeting to even be remotely acceptable, it had to take place in a fairly neutral zone on Zodric. The Hypertrail’s team agreed with this assessment and chose one of the warehouses currently in use by a cluster of smaller companies and gangs. Not necessarily a permitted intrusion, but they could slice in, no problem. Not only would this option provide ample cover in case a fight actually does break out, but it might disincentivize any inclinations of hostilities. Any misfiring could cause a lot of property damage and therefore create new rivals.

As all of them were in variously accessible situations at this time, it wasn’t arduous for Bery to simply call Guss, Akaavi and Bowdaar in for this occasion. A couple of hours prior to liftoff, this trio disembarks in one of the station’s hangar bays and then hurries to meet up with Risha, Lenorr and the Captain herself.  
It’s been a while since the team was fully gathered in one place, which almost creates a feeling of nostalgia. Well, there is one exception, but due to some regrettable circumstances, his favor among them has forever been stricken.

The interior of the selected warehouse makes for an apt location for several reasons, a truth that is revealed upon arrival. Not only are there stacked crates, rows of metal shelves and sealed lockers, a few vehicles have also been stationed in the vicinity. On the upper sections of the walls, near the roof, metal industrial catwalks extend pretty much across the entire area, for maintenance and error management reasons. 

The crew enters the storage facility locked and loaded, though not necessarily dressed in mountains of armor. If they were to hazard a guess, it’s probably easy to assume that the syndicate will bring weapons of their own. Holding back in this occasion feels kinda stupid. This, of course, doesn’t have to signify that every member has to prepare for an inevitable eruption of violence, nor that they presume the state of the situation will be to fire at will. Everyone has to follow Bery’s commands, even if the Captain isn’t exactly a tactical marvel.

All members of the crew find themselves in differing stages of flux. Bowdaar has, for the most part, been as calm and quiet as usual. He’s terse and seemingly resolute, but the others rarely know what signs to look for in terms of unease on the wookiee.  
That said, if he can be found in the most optimal condition, the same can definitely not be stated about the rest. They appear to alternate between elements of impatience, anxiety and suspicion.

Risha is of the first emotion. She paces next to a few boxes, arms folded, while regularly checking her watch.  
“This is taking too long”, she complains. “We agreed on an exact hour and it’s now fifteen minutes past that time. They’re not coming, are they? Probably tricked us all along, those crafty bastards.”

“Relax”, Bery informs her. The twi’lek is sitting on a steel carton of her own, while her back is leaned into her girlfriend’s chest.  
“I’m not worried. You’ve been to the fancier clubs back on Nar Shaddaa, right? People who think they’re sooo important always feel like they have to stall until the very last second.”

The mechanic turns and surveys her friend disapprovingly.  
“You’re being too lax, Shodem. Again.”

The Captain shrugs.  
“And you should sit down before you trip on those lavish boots of yours and break ‘em in half.”

“…I’ll have you know that they’re very durable, so I’ll not listen to you trash them.”

The middle emotion is personified in Guss, trapped in a constant process of fidgeting.  
“I…I dunno about this, Captain. Have you looked into the rumors regarding these thugs? Because I have, and I don’t like what I found.  
Did you ever hear the story of their rise?”

Bery appears thoroughly unimpressed as she lifts her hand to her forehead.  
“No, I haven’t, Guss, and neither should you. The gossip in those circles are always-“

But he will not be deterred, almost immediately proceeding with his tale.  
“It’s said that they lured a much larger rival group straight into an ambush within one of the big cities on uh…Hutta, I think. Yeah, gotta be Hutta. It was brilliant! A master stroke, they say. These fools were trapped in the center of a whole district’s automated turrets, which made Silcore’s mission so much easier. Afterwards, they just scooped up all the resources of their rivals and rose to prominence.”

He receives a practically exhausted exhale in response.  
“Oh, Guss…what have I told you about listening to nonsense on the hutt section of the HoloNet? People on those sites spread stories and exaggerated legends like a gizka-sausage vendor in the Duros sector.”

“…what does that even-“

“What I’m telling you is, stop being gullible, got it?  
Secondly, how the fuck does that apply here? We’re neither a bigger gang nor did Silcore pick this facility. We did.”

He has no further protests. For now.  
The final emotion is derived from the two largest women present, shared between Akaavi and Lenorr. The latter sticks to embracing her girlfriend, but the mandalorian stands with her arms folded, eyes constantly darting between the few exits available in this room.  
“This is foolish, Captain”, Akaavi remarks. Direct as always. “We shouldn’t have picked this location, nor to meet openly. Or together. It’s a weakness they'll exploit.”

“Ah, c’mon, Spar. What could possibly go wrong?”

Akaavi veers sharply towards her, brow contorted disapprovingly.  
“Lots of things. Everything, in fact. What makes you so confident that they’ll adhere to the terms we agreed on? What if they bring their whole crew? If I were them, dealing with an untrustworthy rival clan, that’s what I would do.”

“…excuse me?! Since when could we ever be called ‘untrustworthy’? I’m the model of integrity, I’ll have you know!”

No one responds verbally for a few seconds, but the gazes offered to her are blatantly incredulous. Eventually, Lenorr has something to add.  
“I can’t say I’m in full agreement, but Akaavi does have a point. Like I told both you and Risha, Silcore has been unwilling to negotiate during all our encounters up until today. It is a strategically sound opportunity to strike in this area.”

“And Lenorr used to be a Sith Lord with soldiers to command. I think that says all we need”, Akaavi swiftly points out.

Bery rolls her eyes and lifts her hands in a way to display that she aims to allay their fears. Sort of.  
“Will you hot ladies just calm your tits?  
So, yeah, okay, it’s not exactly outside the realm of possibility that they might decide to fuck us over. I mean, I did add that in the equation…sorta. But honestly, do either of you believe they’d do this here, on Zodric? Like, with Kemmet ready to shove guns up their asses the moment it all goes to hell?”

“They have already ambushed us once.”

“True, but that was during a situation where they were sure neither of you would fight. Wouldn’t surprise me if Kemmet yelled until his throat got sore for that slipup and as far as we’ve seen, they’ve cooled down, right?”

A retort is delayed, and while Akaavi’s face displays her disapproval, she doesn’t provide any dissenting angles.  
“I still don’t like this, and I won’t trust them…but I admit I’m not calling the shots. You can’t prevent me from keeping my weapon, though.”

Bery smiles and reaches out with her hand to pat the zabrak’s arm.  
“Don’t worry, I was never gonna take your precious toys, Spar. Wouldn’t dream of it.”

A couple of anxious minutes drift past, until something new finally transpires. Their rivals, and potential future allies if everything goes accordingly, step through the double doors on the opposite end of the area. It’s not entirely unexpected to witness how their numbers are marginally higher.  
Among those included is Adrent; armed, but without any hints of a heavy armor. The more interesting sight is the person at the center of the gathered riffraff, who has a more overtly pivotal role than the rest.

Curiously, it is not a huge nor particularly scary person, but a moderately short bothan woman with red fur and a small light brown mane. She is actually shorter than even Bery, though her glare has its own intimidating value. Just like the Captain, she does not walk in a solitary fashion, as previously noted, for at least a dozen ruffians follow her wake, all likely members of Silcore and no doubt positioned as her personal guards. An important player, then.

This bothan strolls self-assuredly in a long black coat, but one that does not hide the body armor beneath. Compared to the Captain’s fairly tight pants, she has sturdy moss-green leggings, with blaster pistols locked near her waist. All in all, she gives the impression of a gang boss more than a CEO or Kingpin. Fitting, perhaps.  
Either way, her gaze locks with Bery’s and the twi’lek sobers up pretty much right away, sliding off her seat.

“You must be Captain Shodem”, she presumes, voice locked in a stern mode.

“Bingo”, Bery confirms and forms one hand into an imaginary gun to point at her. “Dunno if I’ve ever seen your face, though.”

As the other woman halts, at least twenty meters away, she rests her hands on her hips and the assembled guards form a defensive perimeter around her.  
“Sirai Kwa’teh.”

For most, this doesn’t tell them much, but Risha’s eyes widen.  
“Whoa. That’s…the name of Silcore’s leader.”

“Yeah, because this is my syndicate.”

Suddenly, the gravity of this scenario washes over them. They’re not dealing with some small fry, a groveling lackey that has to bow to her master’s whims. No, this is the real deal, the iron fist herself.  
“Cool”, says Bery, hoping to incarnate that emotion. Her success is…marginal. “Glad you could come, I guess.”

“I trust this does not surprise you, Captain. The mail we received and the claim you asserted was something I take _very_ seriously. I’ll admit to some hesitation to begin with, due to our previous encounters, but I cannot deny the benefit if what you’ve stated is true.  
Clashing with someone as galactically notorious as Captain Shodem and her gang was never my wish, but you gave me and my subordinates little choice.”

If she thought this would float past them unchallenged, she is sorely mistaken. Risha’s sharp frown is fixated on her and the human crosses her arms.  
“Is that so? Unless my memory has become incredibly deficient in the past several months, I recall ample opportunities for debate. Your lackeys snubbed each one.”

“Don’t pretend to be innocent, Drayen”, Adrent butts in. “Your every offer to us was smug and filled with sly pretense. Don’t presume I’m unaware of your reputation either. Your deceitful tendencies haven’t escaped us.”

Risha receives support from Akaavi, who takes a step forward, flanking the human.  
“Are you claiming you haven’t been deceptive? Our team left yours alone for the longest of times, until _your_ syndicate assaulted us, without cause.”

“Banthashit”, the rattataki cyborg blurts. “We had plenty of motives, such as the fact that you scum were stealing creds from us! Even whole shipments of valuable cargo were being transferred into your stockrooms. Yeah, we tracked them, so don’t pretend otherwise.”

“Hey!”, Bery exclaims and raises her hands in the air. “Let’s settle down, folks. Sure, we’re not gonna insist that what you saw didn’t happen, but you know what we’ve found? That it was all a pile of steaming dewback dung holes. Lies, fabrications, what have you. It was a scheme by an outside party, to trick us into fighting each other.”

Once more, Sirai handles the conversation on her side.  
“So you’ve maintained in your messages, but forgive me if I don’t simply take your word for it. You promised evidence. Where is it?”

Bery gestures at Guss. She could’ve dealt with a menial task like this on her own, but as she has to prolong the charade of a leader with pawns, she delegated it to her friends. The mon calamari walks, as calmly as he can muster, up to the central border with a datapad in his hand. Sirai sends one of her people, an imposing nikto, to collect it. This individual simply snatches it out of Guss’ grasp, who fondles his own hands while he retreats.

“The details are all in that device”, Bery explains. “Shows the withdrawal and deposits of funds, not just to my company, but a whole range of others. There’s some even _from_ my team’s accounts. Lil’ suspicious, wouldn’t you say?  
If you prefer, you’re certainly free to cross-check with your own databanks and tools. I’ve got no doubt you’ll see we’re telling the truth.”

Sirai examines the files on the display in a brief fashion, mostly skimming the names and the numbers.  
“And what do you propose we do about this?”

“Well, my team has managed to identify what we believe to be the main sources of this entire conspiracy. The network leads into the depths of Zodric’s digital hubs, chambers far below any of the civilian and business sectors. Someone, on this very station, has been creating a real mess, pissing on all of us and doing their best to screw us over. I’m talking deliberate sabotage and manipulation.”

She turns away, slips her hands behind her back and begins to casually stroll in front of her allies, before she resumes.  
“Now, from my perspective – and this is just the humble opinion of a scummy smuggler born in the slug dump of Nar Shaddaa – this is kinda...not fucking acceptable behavior? Back home, we hunt that son of a hutt down and make sure to end their little game. That was our plan all along, and we could’ve done this all by our lonesome selves, but I’m gonna be candid with ya – we don’t have the resources or the influences you do here, on Zodric. This is why I’m showing my hand and suggesting we do this together.  
If we pool our equipment and personnel, we could make this whole process way less complicated. We’d track the lair, kick the door down and discover exactly who this little shitweasel is, side by side. Even mister Vhir himself wouldn’t be able to argue with our forces combined.”

The display and presentation give Silcore something to think about, and Sirai doesn’t just have her eyes trained on the pad, but also throws a cursory glance at her allies, assessing their reactions.  
Adrent is, unsurprisingly, skeptical and rather overtly at that. The rest doesn’t seem to know where they stand, as this idea is undoubtedly fascinating. This is a way out of their perceived troubles, isn’t it?  
All that the Hypertrail’s crew gets to witness is how the rattataki dips his head towards his superior and they have an estimated minute’s discussion in whispers, before they come to a conclusion.

“Alright, Captain”, Sirai begins. “The interests of both myself and my colleagues have been piqued.” She aims a finger in her direction. “But I want to hear assurances, straight from your mouth. Don’t betray us, Shodem. I will _not_ be merciful.”

Bery once more elevates her hands in a defensive fashion.  
“Whoa, easy there, pal. You think I’d be that much of an idiot? Actually, don’t answer that.” She puts one hand to her chest instead, over her heart. “I swear, upon the honor of me and my mess of a crew, that we won’t backstab, double-cross, slander or trick a single one o’ ya. Our entire purpose for this lil’ trip is only to find out what all this crap is about. In fact, I aim to go myself. You’re free to join us, see what happens.”

Breaking formation, Sirai approaches abruptly, striding straight for Bery’s location. She extracts her hand, holding it up for the Captain.  
“Let’s seal that deal.”

The twi’lek throws a look towards her companions, but gains no unfavorable feedback. A few shrugs and glares, but no blatant objections. The most concern, as anticipated, originates from Lenorr. She just naturally dislikes her girlfriend having to expose herself, but knows there’s no way to solve this dilemma without accepting Sirai’s cordial solution. Bery takes that as a good sign and is on the brink of meeting with her counterpart.  
And that’s when all hell breaks loose.

Suddenly, from a location several meters above the rest, an unnervingly sharp shot erupts, practically out of the blue. The caliber is difficult to evaluate, but most can surmise it’s some form of sniper. Not only does it penetrate Sirai’s chest, but also pierces the datapad she holds in her other hand, close to her body.  
The bothan widen her eyes in utter shock and promptly hurtles to the ground. This projectile heralds an entire barrage of regular blaster rifle salvos that gun down several more Silcore soldiers. Even Adrent, who desperately attempts to reach a makeshift barricade, falls.

The initial blast was instigated from the catwalk over on Bery’s side, but this is not the only area with peril. The opposite ramp soon unveils more attackers, who aim for the Captain’s crew. All of them scatter, sprinting for some type of shelter, but not everyone comes out of it unscathed. Both Bowdaar and Guss sustain injuries which, while not fatal, hamper their abilities.  
Bery is on the verge of becoming another casualty, but Lenorr gains a flash of a vision from what’s about to occur and acts on pure instinct. She summons her strength in the Force and telekinetically drags Bery to her at the last second, saving her. The twi’lek had been holding her breath, but now releases it and clutches her girlfriend’s frame, when she realizes she is alive and well. For now, anyway.

“Take cover!”, Bery cries out, though it’s a rather futile gesture. It’s not like it needed to be uttered.

“What the hell is going on?!”, Risha shouts, while she unholsters her pistol. She aids Guss with crouching beneath the same safe retreat.

“Shooters on the catwalk!”, Akaavi warns, at the same moment that she assists Bowdaar, carrying him into a secure spot. “Dark gear and high-powered rifles, all of them! Elite squad, maybe?”

Bery draws both of her guns.  
“Doesn’t matter! We gotta get outta here!”

For the briefest of moments, the twi’lek discloses herself to fire a couple of bolts, but it’s only fleeting, due to how rapidly they respond. On the position next to her, Lenorr has gripped her lightsaber.  
“I’ll try to provide a moving barrier, while the rest of you sprint for the closest exit.”

Bery views her not just skeptically, but filled with distress too.  
“What? How the fuck are you supposed to block all of these assholes at once? That’s madness!”

“Do you have a better idea?!”

Unfortunately, she doesn’t, but this doesn’t have to imply that she’d fold to a near-suicidal request. She nibbles her own lip and quickly begins to brainstorm. C’mon, Shodem, think. There has to be some kind of backup plan here, right? She refuses to put Lenorr in this type of danger, but…

Luckily, her pondering does not have to be extensive. Another set of doors slide open and an unexpected group bursts inside – Kemmet Vhir, along with an array of official Zodric guards. The nautolan raises a heavy pistol and unleashes a torrent of covering fire at the catwalk that is currently targeting Bery’s team. His troops follow his example.  
“Captain Shodem, we’re here to assist you! This whole warehouse is surrounded by these intruders! I do not know who these people are, but they’re specifically coming after your team!”

Bery aims a look towards him that reveals both relief and bemusement.  
“…what? But I don’t-…” She opens a hand and buries her eyes in its palm. “Balls. This must be the culprit, the little schutta who’s been stealing from us. Hadn’t expected it to be a group, nor that they’d be so fucking sneaky.”

“You aren’t making much sense to me, Captain, but it doesn’t matter. My staff and I have secured a path to your hangar. Leave and we will cover you!”

There’s a brief sliver of hesitation, before Bery inclines her head and they get everyone on their feet.  
“Much obliged! Won’t forget this favor, Vhir!”

The team gathers up, with Lenorr carrying Guss and Akaavi helping Bowdaar, while Vhir’s soldiers launch surges of suppressive fire on the catwalk, forcing their shrouded enemies to hide.  
Sadly, the passage is not as unobstructed as they may have hoped. All along the way, stray bolts whizz past them, just barely missing. These foes are relentless and it’s explicitly obvious that they want to take Bery’s team down at every cost. The question, though, is why? If these scheming shitheads have been trying to trick virtually the entire station, why expose themselves to blunders now?

Regardless, after minutes of a harrowing escape, the team bursts into the indicated hangar, where the Hypertrail should be waiting. While their concerns are allayed at first by the sight of the ship, a few other facts raise apprehension.  
First of all, the whole place is eerily empty. No workers, no droids, not even any other ships. On top of this, the blast doors to space are closed. Didn’t Kemmet said he had cleared them for takeoff?

They contemplate disregarding all of these signs, but Risha looks further perplexed when she eyes other elements within.  
“Uh, why are so much equipment deactivated? Even the cameras look like they’re off.”

The question, while prudent, is the last aspect they have time to question, before the center of the hangar shatters, localized specifically around the Hypertrail. An entire cluster of explosives detonate, sending a shockwave that violently knocks the team to the floor.  
They are all moderately fortunate to be at too great of a distance to be swept up in the destruction, but when Bery eventually pushes herself to a seated position, clutching her head, despair overtakes her.

_“NOOO!”_

Her shout unveils the truth. The Hypertrail is a mess, large sections of the hull cracked open, the entire length virtually severed in half. Fire, smoke and debris emerge everywhere, filling their sights and nostrils. One might wonder why the hyperdrive or engine haven’t yet sent a grander discharge in this facility, but the Captain is too distracted by this atrocity, this utter horror, to think straight. Her ship, her most beloved possession that she has treasured for _years_ , is in ruins.

Shortly following this event, all doors to the outside close and lock down, sealing them off completely. Well, all except one.  
To the west of their current location, another team marches inside, consisting of highly skilled, geared and armed soldiers. In front of them walks a man in a simple navy blue and beige robe, and a metal cane casually held in his hand – Kemmet Vhir.

Compared to his previous sympathetic and perhaps even concerned disposition inside the warehouse, he has shifted back into his serene, stern and calculating demeanor. His large dark eyes drift towards them, seeming unperturbed.  
“Ah, so the explosion went off too soon”, he remarks flatly. “That is regrettable. I suppose the motion sensors must have malfunctioned. No matter.”

Bery’s own gaze is still permeated with waves of confusion and astonishment.  
“What the-…Vhir? You…did this?”

“I’m afraid so. I am sorry that it has come to this, but this is where your journey ends, Captain.”

Betrayal and pain. Suddenly, it all makes sense. Well, at least the identity of the culprit. But the motive?  
She leaps to her feet.  
“Why? Why would you do this?! Did you set this whole thing up? Are you behind all this fucking maelstrom of banthashit we’ve suffered?”

Kemmet stares at her for a few silent seconds, before he shakes his head. His soldiers aim their weapons.  
“Questions are irrelevant, Captain. The answers won’t matter to you. Though, I will do you the courtesy of conceding to the fact that you were a most capable opponent. It saddens me that we couldn’t prolong this process.”

He lifts his cane, grabs the handle and detaches it from the rest. While holding the body in one hand, he reveals something else in the counterpart – the hilt of a weapon.  
He puts his thumb to one of the buttons, igniting and revealing the yellow shades of a lightsaber.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _It feels good to finally reveal Kemmet's true nature. You don't know how long I have waited for this. I didn't have it fully planned out back then, but I prepared for Kemmet to be one of my villains later in these stories already in "Among the faded tales". Not the "main" villain, but one of them._


	31. Vhir

The noise. That damn fucking noise. The crackling, penetrative buzz of a lightsaber. She has heard it many times in the past, from so many other allies and adversaries, and yet she never fully acclimatizes to it. There’s just something with the activation, like a blaster shot being discharged, but then gets frozen in time and space, molded into some of the most terrifying weapons that this galaxy has to offer. Sure, there definitely are gigantic death machines and devastating contraptions that other deranged fools have crafted, but none of them still make it so immediate, so tangible, as a lightsaber.

After the initial introduction of fear into her chest, Bery swiftly tries to assess the situation they’re in, what type of protection the surroundings can provide. She can easily establish that, while this hangar does lack droids and personnel, it certainly provides a wide arrangement of objects, equipment and debris; the former two which their enemies apparently didn’t clear out before they planned this encounter. Could be useful as makeshift obstacles to shelter the crew.

Sadly, at the very start of this mess, they’re not just exposed targets, but hampered by the fact that they’ve got two casualties. How are they supposed to deal with Kemmet Vhir – a potential Sith or Jedi or _whatever_ – and his assembled party, a whole dozen troops? In Bery’s experience, private spacedocks like this always have reinforcements on the way, to assist at any moment. He obviously wouldn’t wanna send the whole army, as that would weaken other sectors of the station, but even just a hundred would be too much for six people to deal with.

Except for the old nautolan standing in front of his troops with the lightsaber, there are a bunch of ranged weapons aimed at them. Seems like a variety of blaster rifles, though the most frequent choice is ostensibly a fancy high-tech one with a few attachments. What could be useful here? Explosives, piercing mods, maybe a stun round addition? Bery would prefer not to find out the specifics, though. You know, because she doesn’t like getting hurt.

Before the battle even has a chance to begin, Risha curses and lowers Guss to the ground, so that she can whip out some kolto and apply it to her comrade. She offers the same for Bowdaar.  
It’s not like this will make them fit to fight or anything, but not bleeding to death is likely a preference. Curiously, Kemmet does not give the order to fire on them. Not yet.  
Meanwhile, Akaavi draws a pistol and her tech staff, whereas Lenorr grabs her lightsaber hilt by using her mind.

Bery continues to stare at the old man, still baffled at the revelation. She’s unsure how to best react to this debacle, what to say.  
“Why would you do all this, Vhir? We’ve been nothing but polite and acted appropriately in your station! This is how you pay your allies back?”

Kemmet takes a few slow and careful steps forward.  
“You are mistaken and uninformed. This is not personal. Chaos is a form of art, Captain. It must be managed, cultivated properly, but no matter how cautious you are, it often produces more destruction than you initially anticipated.”

“…what the fuck does that mean?!”

“Your death.”

Without any other forewarning, he darts forward with unexpected and phenomenal speed, flying through the air straight towards Bery’s location with aid from the Force. It’s executed with such precision that the Captain hardly even has enough time to react.  
Fortunately, one who does is Lenorr. She has already ignited her own device and blocked Kemmet at the moment he lands; the sparks of their collided weapons create wailing and roaring noise, like two clashing tempests.

The pureblood holds him back with sheer strength, gritting her teeth as she glares at him with increasing rage. The orange shade of her eyes practically seem to glimmer, glowing fiercer.  
“You contemptuous little _wretch!_ You think you can just stab us in the back and move on? I will smother your existence!”

She physically thrusts him away with ease, and then attempts to slash with the other blade of her dual-edged weapon, but the attack is far too slow to ever succeed against someone like her current foe. He simply backpedals, out of her reach, even if just barely. Was that on purpose?  
Such arrogance fuels her fury, naturally, and she tries to pursue him by leaping into the air with the aid of mental abilities and stab him through the chest. Yet again, he sidesteps out of her attack in a ridiculously efficient manner. His expression remains unfazed, practically bored.

This move may have been a segment of his plan, however, for her lightsaber is now somewhat stuck in the ground. He spins around and tries to cut her down, forcing the Sith to dodge and leave her weapon in the floor. She makes an effort to reach for it with her mind, but to no avail. Kemmet will not allow her to maintain concentration and all Lenorr can do is retreat, as to not be cut open by her foe’s rapid lashes.

This is when the fight properly takes off in the rest of the hangar. Kemmet’s soldiers have not been given any commands, but instead takes the initiative. They begin firing upon their quarry, forcing the team to fall back behind any perceivable cover. They may have been standing in the open, but their instincts gave them ample opportunity to prepare, knowing how this would go down. They’ve been through enough scraps by now, to predict the inevitable downpour.

While she sprints to her shelter, however, Bery swiftly draws her pistols and returns fire. Her shots are obviously very accurate, impacting trivial sections of their armors, which means they can’t remain cavalier for any extended periods. They flee to rubble of their own and the whole area soon fills with rampant exchange of blaster fire, tactical shouts, discarded chunks and most of all, disorder.

Lenorr, who has the most intimate duel, searches for avenues of escape, trying to predict where to go in order to retrieve her weapon, but Kemmet is a sly one. He not only obstructs any adjacent routes with sweeping swings, but he also tries to seek measures to cripple her resistance, by targeting her arms and legs. Why he isn’t more interested in simply killing her outright, she doesn’t know, but she also doesn’t care.

“You’re a miserable little gnat, Vhir!”, she shouts after another evasive maneuver. “I always knew there was something that stank about you, but that it would this foul? I will wring your neck and reveal the truth!”

Kemmet still doesn’t appear particularly impressed.  
“You Sith always chatter too much.”  
This time, he stabs at her directly instead, but the motion is slower than usual. Dammit, he’s toying with her.

In the meantime, Bery realizes what’s going on behind her, where her girlfriend is combating their toughest enemy and she can’t let Lenorr become cornered. Eventually, the Sith will have nowhere left to run, no chance to evade anymore. Bery isn’t going to let that happen.  
This is why she jumps out from her cover, lifts her guns and attempts to cut – or shoot – a swath in the path of the trapped lightsaber, despite the fact that it’s completely out in the open. It’s not like Captain Bery Eka’Shodem is an easy target, though.

She unleashes an array of bolts towards her nearest marks and even though they all try to counter her, they have to admit she’s kinda fast on her feet. She skips from rubble to a cluster of computer terminals and then slides in behind a pile of tubes that are commonly employed to spaceship fuel tanks. She rolls, vaults and tumbles across a variety of obstacles in this fashion.

When she has almost reached her goal, she notices two particular troopers or mercs or whatever they are, targeting her specifically from nearby hiding spots. Luckily, this works in her advantage. She ensures they focus on her as much as possible and grow needlessly bold, while she seizes the chance to prepare a flash grenade. She lobs it above her barricade in a casual fashion, hoping they didn’t identify it. Moments after it erupts, she sprints.

In her rush, she spots two more soldiers who now aim in her direction, likely wanting to support their allies. Fortunately, she’s faster than a bunch of mooks – she nails one in the head and the other in the shoulder, making both tumble behind their respective walls.  
A couple of seconds later, she gets ahold of Lenorr’s lightsaber, but there’s a small initial problem, where she fumbles and hesitates.

“How the hell do you turn this junk off?!”  
She does locate what appears to be a suitable small button and clicks it, making the laser pillars deactivate and the hilt drop to the ground. With a sigh of relief, she grabs the small shaft and turns to her girlfriend.  
“Lenorr!”

She throws the tool into the air for all she’s worth, and shortly after, she discharges several bolts, hoping to distract the nautolan. The plan succeeds and while Kemmet deflects the shots, the Sith snags her blade with the Force and drag it into her grasp. This is executed just in time to activate the lasers when Kemmet charges. She blocks his next strike and allows him to come close.  
“No more games, scum. I will sever the head from that pitiful body of yours.”

“Posturing is unbecoming, Evintok”, he responds.

While Bery is exceedingly joyful that her girlfriend is not _quite_ as much in imminent peril anymore, the Captain completely neglects the angle of her own situation, that she’s not alone.  
One of her opponents rises from his cover and while she’s unprotected, he takes aim and readies a shot. He can potentially take her down from this range…but gets a paralyzing blast to his neck before that happens.  
In shock, Bery swirls around and sees her human friend standing there with a rifle in her hands.

“Risha! Oh, I love you! That’s some damn fine shooting!”

The future Queen glares at the Captain.  
“…Bery, stop talking and get your ass behind cover!”

“…sorry!” She hurries in behind the closest barrier she can locate. “Forgot where we were!”

On the other side of the battlefield, Akaavi has managed to deftly work her way up to some of their other foes, advancing into close range. She does have a pistol, but that’s not her strong suit. She’s better with the staff, where she can grab, jab and pummel her competition into submission. Or death.  
Once the enemy loses sight of her, she suddenly vaults out from her shelter, dashes into one of them and begins a harsh process. She knees them in the gut and then pushes an elbow into the back, knocking them to the ground.  
A second adversary veers towards her, but she ducks, grabs the body of the first and utilizes them for protection. The other soldier is too hesitant to fire against their comrade and she waits for the right moment, where she can shove them into one another. Once the collision occurs, she lunges into both and uses her staff like a bat to bash the non-injured one right in the head, likely cracking their skull. The helmet only barely dampens the impact.

Akaavi drops to the floor behind her newfound safe location and calls out.  
“Captain, we need to get out of here as soon as possible!”

The zabrak soon gets pinned down, but this scenario doesn’t linger. She gains assistance from Risha, who provides suppressive fire, allowing the two women to cooperate and annihilate their foes.  
“Guss and Bowdaar are hurt, but they’re not going to die”, Risha informs the rest. “Retreating sounds like a good idea.”

They receive news regarding the status of at least one of these men no more than seconds later, as Bowdaar has equipped his bowcaster and shatters the chest of one foe with a precise shot.  
Guss, on the other hand, mostly remains in hiding.  
“Ah, Captain…”, he moans. “It’s like my whole body is a lake of torment. I…don’t know if I can make it. I can’t even feel my legs! They’re gone!”

Risha rolls her eyes.  
“Don’t be so dramatic, Tuno. Your legs are fine. You were shot in the arm.”

“…it hurts regardless!”

Regrettably, Bery has problems of her own. Two more foes have split off and fixate on hunting her down. Compared to their compatriots, they try to be careful, only advancing in calculated maneuvers. What they don’t know, is that she’s allowing it to occur.  
All she does to discourage their progress is to occasionally lift her guns and hurl a couple of shots, gradually making them surge to her position, as they believe her movements are impeded. If she can’t come to them, they can definitely reach her.

As soon as one equips a vibrodagger and throws themselves over her cover, she is there and ready to blast them in the foot. This enemy groans in agony, just prior to getting pistol-whipped in the face.  
The second uses this momentum to tackle her to the ground, summoning flashbacks to the defense of Kirragon Sij II, even if this situation is not quite the same.

Bery falls just like she did back then, losing at least one of her weapons in the process and while the person on top of her strives to pull out a dagger and probably slit her throat, it’s not that simple. With her back against the floor, she manages to grab their wrist, to at least temporarily slow the sharp tool down. They should’ve realized that Bery is a persistent little bastard and if she spots escape options, she’ll latch onto that like a mynock to an energy conductor.

In the tumultuous struggle, she locates a weakness. They may wear a helmet, but their body is not fully sealed, as she can see a breach by the neck. Trying to wrestle with them, she elbows them in the side, causing a slight tilt and she seizes that chance to desperately lift her mouth and bite into the exposed flesh. Doesn’t exactly kill them, but creates a distraction to the point where they drop the dagger and instead tries to shove her away. In the chaos of it all, she manages to shift the situation around, placing her on top. She puts a blaster bolt in their abdomen with the pistol she still clutches, straddles her opponent and then releases another two shots in their chest. Her second enemy gets up to retaliate, but she merely has to turn and nonchalantly fire into their head.

After wiping some saliva that dribbled out of her mouth due to the bout, she looks down at belts of her adversaries. Bingo – some proper thermal detonators. And just in time too.  
“Incoming! Reinforcements from the eastern door!”, Risha announces.

Bery swiftly equips her hands with three of the tools that she finds.  
“You dickheads like explosives, huh? Well, have some of this shit!”

She pushes the detonators of all three and then flings them across the room towards the opening, not only causing havoc, but likely killing a bunch of them too. To top it all off, she rearms herself with the blaster revolvers she used and creates a real hail of laser fire in the subsequent smoke that erupts in the region.

While at least this hurdle is being overcome through sheer force of will, Lenorr does not encounter as much success. Kemmet isn’t just an intensely deadly fighter with his lightsaber, but his Force aptitude is immense. She’s unquestionably physically stronger than he is, but that matters little when he’s so very versatile. He dances around her attacks, like a leaf in the wind. It is as if he can envision every cut, all slicing motions and vanish.

The nautolan does not stay on the defensive, however, but regularly retorts by lashing at her with his weapon. Lenorr is not inept, of course, so she’s not incapable of enacting thwarting maneuvers. She blocks quite a few, as her evasive skills aren’t as potent.  
“I commend you for such a remarkable display of tenacity and vigor, Evintok”, he says rather flatly, “but I can detect an overt abundance of breaches in your abilities. You should concede to your defeat and make this less humiliating.”

Every comment he has made, even this one, naturally builds her wrath and she tries to draw from that pool of resentment, transform it into her strength, like a proper Sith and eventually repay him in kind. Sadly, it’s not an uncomplicated venture.  
“I don’t know what delusions it is you try to maintain, but it will avail you nothing, you bastard. The only one walking out of here is _me_. I would prefer to strangle the life out of you, but I suppose slicing you into pieces shall have to suffice.”

She storms into him, employing further impetus into her thrusts, but it’s for naught. She can’t gain the upper hand on this slippery fiend.  
“I find it intriguing how you continue to trust in your own impossible victory. Perhaps you have not yet comprehended the gravity of your situation. Allow me to demonstrate.”  
He lowers his saber and switches it off. Taking a step back, he leaves his arms at his sides.  
“Strike me, if you can. My weapon shall remain disabled during the course of your actions.”

Well, this is not an opportunity she aims to shirk and therefore quickly seizes it. She realizes he’s trying to deride her, but she won’t let him prevail. If he wishes to underestimate her, then so be it.  
She slashes furiously at the old man, but this is not her only action. In the meantime, her eyes occasionally dart around, searching for suitable debris outside of his vision. If she can find a large or sharp object, she can lure him into a trap.

Once she discovers an appropriate item, she charges into him, but also utilizes the Force to yank the huge metal plate towards the two of them.  
Unfortunately, while the motion itself is a success, it doesn’t conclude like she would’ve preferred. Instead, he parts his hands in both directions and exudes a wave of Force energy. She staggers away, while the junk she threw bounces on the ground and crashes into a wall.

“I give you credit for such a devious display, but that will not win you this battle”, he declares and reenergizes his saber.  
Yet again, he dives into the fray, hounding her entire existence as he drives her back. His speed appears to have developed and her offensive alternatives are now much fewer.  
“Do you see now? Your meager powers are nothing. You are a child in my presence.”

To emphasize just how outnumbered, outmatched and overwhelmed she is, he summons even greater energies into his grasp and when she is near, he knocks her away with a shockwave of incredible proficiency. She slams into a wall at least twenty meters away, temporarily losing her breath on impact, drops to her knees and almost forfeits her weapon again. She clutches it adamantly, refusing to suffer another disadvantage. Well, more than what she already endures.  
She has met many dangerous Sith and Jedi in her time, but this? This is on par with Iron’zeranz, perhaps worse.

To hold him off, she rises to her feet, tries to grab as much scrap and rubble as she can muster with the Force and flings it all into him. She attempts to craft a maelstrom of objects bolting and surging through the air, in order to distract him, but the old man is not dissuaded whatsoever. In fact, he makes it look easy, striding with confident steps ever closer, knocking every object aside, as if he’s swatting flies. He doesn’t seem even remotely perturbed.

In the end, there is little else she can toss at him besides herself and while this is the alternative she goes for, it’s for naught. She doesn’t stand a chance and he’s done playing games.  
As the lightsaber hurtles towards him, he parries it, but not with his blade. He lifts a hand in a rather delicate motion and stops the device, suspending it in the air. No, not just the weapon, but Lenorr herself. As she tries to veer away, she senses how her entire body is frozen.

Kemmet’s dark eyes gaze into hers.  
“I have never liked your kind. You assert your position without aptitude to support it. You believe yourself to be above others, but you are weak, fragile. This is why you fail.”

Without delay, he raises his weapon, directs it to the side, slashes at her right hand…and severs it at the wrist.

Lenorr erupts in screams of agony, as the lightsaber drops together with the discarded appendage. As Kemmet releases her, she stumbles backwards into the nearest wall. She has sustained fearsome and painful injures in the past, some that shook her to the core, but this is…immeasurable. An emotion enters her heart, one that she can’t recall having felt for many years, perhaps ever – hopelessness.

One that notes what’s going on is Bery, who whirls towards this direction and it’s like every fiber of her being shrieks in dismay. She could practically feel it in her own body.  
_“LENORR!”_

Kemmet halts in front of the pureblood and holds his weapon aimed at her chest, with his cold eyes staring at her face. The Sith pants, her chest heaving while she sits on the floor and sweat streams down her brow. She feels like a cowering animal, hunted down by a predator. The gaze he offers is unsympathetic, without remorse or care. He could and probably will tear her open and it’s not even explicit whether he’ll enjoy it or if she will merely be another eliminated weakling.

“Do you understand now, Lenorr Evintok? You challenged your betters, tried to declare your audacity where you don’t belong. I hope your journey into the void will teach you about your inadequacy.”

He hoists the hilt in preparation to finish her off, to end her life by severing her head. What a cruel fate, after her earlier bluster.  
Bery is filled with even further despair and desperation at the sight. She can’t let this happen. This asshole already took the Hypertrail from her and now he’s eradicating the woman who matters to her most of all, perhaps more than her own life. Bery hadn’t acknowledged this previously, never considered this element, but it is the undeniable truth.

Gradually, Bery raises her revolver and runs towards him, trying to get him into her firing range without aiming properly. She doesn’t have time for nonsense like that and has to trust her intuition. She is a quick shooter no doubt, one of the fastest in the galaxy, and she has had bursts of unimaginable luck in the past, but this? This may be the most critical shot in her life. And she takes it.

A millisecond before the blade reaches Lenorr, a blaster bolt races through the air filled with fury and brimstone. It crashes into the hilt of the weapon and due to the fact that he’s clasping it, pierces Kemmet’s hand too. The hilt goes adrift, far from its intended target.  
The nautolan obviously hadn’t foreseen this outcome and therefore grits his teeth in pain, while clutching the hand. When she tries to gun him down, he jumps back, retreats and only barely manages to use the Force to knock her pistol to the floor. He can’t launch counterattacks, however, as the rest of the smuggler team are there to assist their Captain, prompting Kemmet to flee in among his incoming reinforcements.

In the meantime, Bery rushes to her girlfriend and kneels down by her side. The pureblood is trembling, and the Captain doesn’t know what to do, other than try to embrace her tenderly.  
“Babe…babe, are you alright?”, voice thick with concern.

Lenorr gasps and clenches her fingers around the stump of her arm.  
“The agony is…indescribable.”

“We’re gonna get you out of here, you hear me? You’ll be fine.”  
She glances over her shoulder.  
“Help me out here, for fuck’s sake!”

While Bowdaar, Risha, and to a lesser degree, Guss, cover them, Akaavi sprints to assist her leader. Due to the shock and sustained damage, Lenorr has difficulties with walking properly, so both the mandalorian and Bery help her. Following this rescue, they run towards the exit they previously cleared.  
Bery tosses one last look over to her wrecked ship, seeing the devastating view of the Hypertrail’s husk. So many years, so many memories…all brought to ruin. All gone.

“I’m sorry, baby”, Bery whispers. “I’m so sorry.”  
What little solace she can take is that Lenorr is still here.

The crew escapes from this area into an adjacent hangar, which doesn’t have closed blast doors. They find a shuttle and flee the station with their lives.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _RIP Lenorr's hand 2018. But at least Bery got to be the hero this time! Sort of..._   
> 


	32. A road of trailblazers

Beaten, bruised and broken. Bery has never been in such a mess like this, despite the utter chaos that her life has submerged into for the last few years. She is, at this point, truly and undeniably fucked. And all it does is piss her off.

It would be presumptuous to claim that the Captain is humbled by this defeat. There are few people in this galaxy who are able to create such emotions in her, as she has a nigh endless supply of determination and confidence. She will not be discarded by some arrogant and boastful geezer.  
However, she will acquiesce to the argument that this scenario won’t be resolved at the end of a gun barrel. She really has to think, use what guile she has accumulated during the many years in the shadows and devise some kind of feasible plan.

At this very moment, she and her crew are on a distant world somewhere in the Outer Rim, sequestered from the conflicts that harass so many planets elsewhere.  
Bery walks over a darkened and paved street, strolling between worn, tattered and cracked house walls, stalked by defective neon lights and tempted by an abundance of smells, from food vendors and smoking dens, to shabby cantinas and sordid gambling corners. She strides past all of them, despite the growling of her stomach, because she already has what she requires tucked neatly into the two bags she holds.

For this little jaunt, she’s dressed in a much less recognizable attire, using a long juniper green coat and grey clothes underneath. She has removed her typical headband and replaced it with simple cloth at her forehead and the ends of her lekku, while a pair of sunglasses adorn her eyes.  
Once she veers and departs from the market district, she eventually enters one with far more residential buildings.

Along the way, she stops in an alley and glances towards the other side of the street, searching for another partially disguised figure. It’s Akaavi, who meets her gaze and offers a terse nod. The mandalorian waits until her Captain has accessed the same passage, before they both turn and leave this area behind.  
Their next journey takes no more than about ten to twenty minutes, until they enter a somewhat secluded section, towards the outskirts of this city. This path provides them with sights such as unused playgrounds, heaps of abandoned trashcans and bags, and walls littered with graffiti. If nothing else, the crew is easily forgotten here.

The goal for this excursion is another shop, nestled in the corner of the town, to hide away from the prying eyes of the authorities. It’s a cybernetics shop, privately owned, with both standards and scruples marginally lower than elsewhere.  
When they pass through the automated doors, the reaction from within is almost immediate – Bery gets a gun pointed in her face from the right flank of the door, while a second pistol pops up a few meters ahead, from behind a couch.

The Captain doesn’t even flinch, though she does stop.  
“Wouldn’t be very nice to shoot the burger courier.”

Risha, who was stationed at the wall, sighs and lowers her weapon.  
“Sorry. Still on edge in here. Had to gamble.”

Guss follows suit, leaving his position by the sofa.  
“Phew. That was a close one, Captain! Almost put a bunch of holes in your face. Really, I’m not kidding. I was seconds away from pulling-“

“Yeah, yeah, I got it”, Bery interrupts. “Close to death, what else is new”, she mutters.

Akaavi enters the shop behind the twi’lek and turns her eyes towards Risha.  
“The vicinity should be clear. No law enforcement or other armed individuals have been spotted. Could still be people waiting in the shadows.”

The human puts the safety on her gun and places it in her holster.  
“Shouldn’t be anyone around who knows we’re here, but we can do another sweep once we’ve eaten.”

Meanwhile, Bery approaches the furniture, so that she can set down the bags, remove the shades and begin to divide all of the contents. It’s mostly a bunch of boxes and small beverage canisters.  
“Got junk food and sodas. If anyone wanted something fancier, tough shit. All I could find out here on short notice. Not nutritious, but should fill our bellies at least.”

The two women, Guss and Bowdaar, who walks over from a separate angle, grab one box each and sit down to eat. They all appear rather relieved to finally satisfy the hunger that’s been steadily growing for several hours.  
The only one who doesn’t seem particularly keen on instantly digging in is Bery. She waits and steers a cautious glance in the direction of another door, with a red shining light above it.

This act doesn’t go unnoticed, of course, and while Risha takes another bite of her meal, she aims a sympathetic look towards her friend.  
“Relax, Bery. She’s still in there and she’ll be fine. It’s not like this is a fatal procedure.”

The Captain frowns and squirms a little, trying to ease her stance somewhat. Doesn’t really work.  
“True, but I can’t help it, ya know?”

She doesn’t convey it to the others, but the mental images of the battle on Zodric keep returning to her. Seeing Lenorr so wounded, on the verge of being torn apart was…horrifying, hard to appropriately articulate with words. She has felt fear in previous years of her life, several times, but this wasn’t the same. It was so very unlike the situations where she has brawled with death and let adrenaline be her primary fuel. She was devoured by panic and despair, more than anything. She never wants to feel like that again.

Bowdaar, who sits and eats by the other end of the sofa, watches Bery, somehow realizing what she’s going through.  
“I aided her with something earlier, Captain. She told me that you have nothing to be afraid of. She is too tough to be broken by this.”

Bery doesn’t respond, merely returns to inspecting the bag and see what else she brought with her. As no other conversation commences, Risha figures she might as well bring up a rather critical topic.  
“Did you locate any news over there, Bery?”

The twi’lek snorts in a marginally bitter fashion.  
“Yep, a bunch of stuff. Nothing good, obviously. The whole fucking galaxy has just turned upside down.”

Risha’s shoulders slump, but she tries to maintain a brave veneer. If Bery descends into misery, then someone has to be the positive influence. Or at least a stable one.  
“Details?”

Bery opens her mouth to begin with, but then shakes her head.  
“Let’s wait. Lenorr should get to hear this too and I don’t wanna tell it twice.”

“Well, I guess that’s agreeable. Can you at least confirm that no one is after us in this city? Not overtly, anyway.”

“Yeah, as far as I know, we’re not in any trouble. I mean, I haven’t seen any dispatched military squads with pictures of our mugs, at least. Though, it’s clear that people are starting to hear about us. They just don’t believe we’re here. Yet.”

“Let’s try to make it stay that way. No holocalls to friends or family, no official logging in on HoloNet sites, only use anonymous credit chips etc. We have to be smart about this, or we’ll never get away.”

No one provides any protests, because they all realize just what a dire disaster this is, even if it’s the first time they’ve been plunged into this ocean of disarray. Not even the Voidwolf could match it, because at least they were supported by the Republic back then. Here, they’re alone.  
Eventually, the lamp on the door switches off and the exit to the operation facilities opens, to reveal the pureblood that steps back into the light. Bery doesn’t hesitate for a second, and swiftly rushes into her beloved’s arms.

Lenorr has heavy bags under her eyes, ones that are also bloodshot and she’s moderately paler than usual, as if her red skin has temporarily lost some of its vitality. But, most of all, she’s alive; that much can’t be disputed.  
Bery pulls her down into an ardent kiss, though it’s still a careful collision, conducted in a manner which divulges Bery’s inherent fear of hurting her girlfriend.

“How’re you doing, babe?”, she whispers.

In spite of her state and how exhausted she appears, Lenorr manages to sport a faint smile.  
“I’ve had better days. Everything feels a little…hazy, I must admit. It’s been like this since we fled.”

Turning their eyes downwards, they can see the handiwork of the store owner – a black, very mechanical design of a cybernetic hand hangs out of Lenorr’s right shirt sleeve. Bery takes the organic one without hesitation, but only gingerly strokes her fingers over the other.  
“Does it feel okay?”

Lenorr turns it around, letting their fingers interact and they seem to bend in quite an apt manner, though their touch is obviously colder.  
“It does, mostly. But it’s still…strange, weirdly disconnected. It’s like this device is both part of my body and a completely foreign object at the same time.”

The twi’lek nods briefly.  
“I get it. Kinda. Sorry that we couldn’t, you know…make it look nicer.”

This is a pretty small and local shop, without the resources of big chains or state-owned institutions. As custom-made synth skin is very expensive and takes time to craft, the man here didn’t have the available equipment. Until they find a better area, this will have to do.  
Lenorr shrugs, trying to show her inner fortitude.  
“It’s alright, I’ll be fine. It does ostensibly operate like a hand of flesh, just doesn’t…feel the same. Guess it never will.”

Sorrow slips into Bery’s eyes and she squeezes her girlfriend’s hands.  
“I’m so sorry, babe. I…”

Lenorr raises her own and gazes at the beautiful visage of her lover. She lifts her organic hand, cups Bery’s cheeks and makes the twi’lek look up. She’s not sure she has ever seen her girlfriend this disheartened, so very dismayed.  
“Don’t. You have nothing to be sorry for. You saved my life, Bery. Without you and your incredible aim, I wouldn’t be here. Don’t ever apologize for that. If I wasn’t already indebted to you for showing me whole new aspects of this galaxy, I definitely am now.”

She tilts her head down and their lips intermingle once more, laced with gratitude and desire exuded from both. It does at least moderately brighten Bery’s gloomy aura, to know that Lenorr won’t give up. The pureblood’s health is of paramount importance to her.  
Bery makes sure to kiss the back of the cybernetic hand, before she decides to change subject.  
“You hungry?”

A small chuckle leaves Lenorr’s lips.  
“Starving. Haven’t had anything to eat yet. He insisted that the procedure needed me to be in a fresh and unaltered state.”

“Well, it’s not a five-star meal, but I got ya a spicy fishburger. C’mon.”

Taking her wrist, Bery leads her back towards the sofa and they’re greeted by the smiles of the others. Risha is the first to interact, offering a hug that Lenorr happily accepts.  
“It’s good to see you out of there, Evintok. We were worried for you.”

She’s not alone, as Guss squeezes Lenorr’s arm.  
“Yeah, wasn’t sure what might happen! I’ve seen many swindlers operate from places like this, in less shadier districts. Glad to be wrong, though.”

Bowdaar doesn’t touch, but he does nod.  
“The hand looks fine. It will serve you well”, he comments, the words being brought through a translator.

Lastly, Akaavi pats her shoulder and stares into her eyes. There’s a brief pause while the mandalorian thinks of something to say.  
“You showed strength. We will rise again, better than ever. Mishuk gotal’u meshuroke, pako kyore.”

Lenorr looks very pleased and a little bit overwhelmed by their reactions. It’s like being welcomed by one’s family.  
“Thank you, all of you. Bery was my most immediate savior, but you all helped. I would be nothing without you.”

“Damn right, and don’t you forget it”, Risha jokes.

Their meal resumes soon enough and during it, Bery picks up another item from the bag, which she acquired earlier. It’s a fairly thick black disc, which fits in the palm of a hand, with a variety of buttons.  
“This is a modified comm unit. Should allow us at least one opportunity to make an anonymous call without being tracked or sliced. Well, that’s what the guy who sold it said, anyway. Told me it’s been specifically protected against outside interference, but there’s obviously a whole heap of advanced tech that can circumvent it eventually.  
I suggest we contact the one we need with it and then dump this device afterwards.”

Lenorr chews and swallows her food, while she nods.  
“Sounds reasonable. I would advice not tossing it in here, though. If someone does trace it, best if we don’t involve the owner. He provided a helpful service.”

“Yeah, I meant like, you know, somewhere in the city. Don’t worry, we’re not gonna screw ‘im over.”

Before grabbing another bite, Lenorr looks at her girlfriend, surveying Bery’s expression and posture. She raises her organic hand and caresses one of the twi’lek’s lekku.  
“You didn’t tell me about your own state yet, darling. You’ve gone through a most tumultuous time lately, a whole tempest of emotions. Perhaps we should take a few days to rest on this world.”

The Captain enjoys the touch, no doubt, but her usual cheer doesn’t materialize.  
“Sorry, I doubt we’ll be able to. The mess we’re in now means we’ll have to keep running.” She halts for a seconds to face Lenorr .”But uh, thanks for noticing.”

Lenorr stares silently at her for a few moments and Bery isn’t sure if she’s searching for a specific answer or merely reassuring herself that Bery hasn’t been too negatively affected.  
“Hmm. You’ve seen something, haven’t you? Something drastic.”

Of course, she probably detected Bery’s emotions. Can’t hide from a Sith. The Captain bites at her lip, while attention from the whole group drifts to her.  
“Uh, yeah. Yeah, I did. I was browsing the HoloNet and found news regarding our team. We’ve got bounties on our heads.”

Guss swallows nervously, Akaavi’s hands clenches, Bowdaar grows distant and Risha frowns.  
“How much?”, the human inquiries.

A deep breath is taken, before she continues.  
“Between 100 and 300 million for each of you. And uh…500 mil for me.  
No idea who issued those price tags, nor what scumbag has the credits for it all, but it doesn’t matter. They’re after us and this is serious.”

The whole room grows devoid of conversation after this. No one knows what to say or express. The predicaments they’ve suffered earlier, against Skavak, Rogun, the Voidwolf, Silcore…they pale in comparison. Whoever Kemmet truly is, whatever his motives were for this attack, they now understand that he’s no small player. He’s got friends out there and all of them have a fervent desire to track the team down. The puzzle to solve is how to get out of it, preferably alive.

When granted the opportunity about an hour later, Bery and Lenorr find privacy in an isolated corner and make a call on their newly purchased black market holocomm, to an individual across the galaxy, the only person they’d want to speak with right now.  
It takes a minute or so of dialing, but the hologram of Darth Acina eventually appears. Her face transform in the fraction of a second from mild interest to shock and ease.

“Bery! Lenorr! Oh, thank the Emperor. I’m so relieved to see you’re alive. I wasn’t sure I’d ever have the opportunity again.”

“Heh, yeah. Missed you too, Riela”, Bery admits.

“We’re sure that we’ve been able to match your concern”, Lenorr remarks.

Acina exhales and places a hand on her chest.  
“I’ve heard the most gruesome and dreadful tales about you both. Certain sectors of the galaxy are brimming with them. I was afraid that…”

Bery’s smile grows and she waves dismissively.  
“Hey, let’s not hear any of that junk. We’re fine. Just uh…been a hectic week.”

Unfortunately, Acina has rather acute eyes and she spots the aspect that Lenorr hasn’t done enough to hide.  
“Lenorr, your hand…what has happened?”

Seeing no need to conceal it further, the pureblood raises it and glances into the palm, before she sighs in a tired fashion.  
“It’s…a long story.”

“Yeah, and we don’t have much time”, Bery adds. “Someone might eventually trace this call and while we’re safe enough for the moment, that can change. Like, fast.”

Acina appears somewhat overwhelmed, but she tries to maintain her composure to a certain degree.  
“Okay, erm…what can I do for you? What do you wish to talk about?”

“Well, first of all, we wanted to ensure you that we’re alive and kicking and we’re doing okay, outside of some minor injuries and…that”, she indicates Lenorr’s hand. “But we also had to explain this mess somehow. And you’ll hopefully trust us.”

Luckily, the last section annoys the Councilor.  
“Excuse me? Don’t give me that nonsense. I don’t care what the hell the official word spouts – I don’t believe any of the things they’re saying about you and I trust you wholeheartedly. We belong together and that’s all I need to be sure of.”

This warms the hearts of both, with at least Lenorr shaking her head.  
“You’re the best, gorgeous”, Bery tells her, “but you still have to hear this.  
First of all, and you’ve probably figured this out already, but we failed to confront our secret rival. Sadly, we never realized their identity until it was too late. It was Kemmet Vhir all along.”

Bemusement fills Acina’s expression soon enough.  
“The…owner of Zodric?”

“Yeah. We’re not sure what his role truly is, if he’s really the boss or not, but he’s not fucking innocent. We were ambushed and assaulted by that dickhead. He’s a Force user and a crazy strong little shit at that. Lenorr didn’t stand a chance in a duel against him, and she was almost killed.”

Lenorr folds her arms, trying her best to not let her ego be too bruised.  
“He has the strength of a Dark Councilor, Riela, one of the most powerful I’ve ever faced. Whatever you do, be careful. Do not let him or any of his cohorts come near you.”

“No need to worry, I wasn’t planning to”, the human assures them.

The next sentence is delayed, as the message itself is painful to utter, but it has to be.  
“The…the Hypertrail was destroyed”, Bery confesses. “Wrecked by Kemmet. Planted explosives over the whole thing and…yeah.”

Signs of sorrow are displayed by Acina, as she has become very aware of the importance of that ship.  
“Oh, Bery, darling…I’m so sorry.” She reaches out with her hand, wishing she could embrace the Captain.

Bery’s gaze falls to the floor, getting lost in memories.  
“Never thought I’d see her like that. Always assumed we’d grow old together, ya know? Let my kids or successors or whatever go for a spin every now and then, to feel what it’s like to ride with a real first-rate ship. Now, I…”

As the Councilor can’t offer anything, Lenorr touches Bery’s shoulder for her.  
“Don’t despair”, says Acina. “I understand what a momentous loss this is and what a catastrophe this entire scenario has transformed into, but you shouldn’t give up. I will help you find new ways, paths to retribution. I swear.”

Her girlfriends share a cursory glance, before they redirect themselves to the comm unit again.  
“We don’t think that’s wise”, Lenorr informs her.

“Yeah, better if you stay where you are for now”, Bery agrees. “We’re being targeted, that much is clear, but still dunno by who. There’s like, fucking gigantic bounties lined up and we don’t wanna endanger you in this climate.”

Once more, Acina is a moderately perplexed.  
“Wait, what? You haven’t heard?”

“Heard what?”

“Messages were distributed to the Sith Empire and the Republic too, over official channels. You are not merely wanted by half of the players in the underworld, but the Hutt Cartel. They are providing the bulk of the credits for the reward.”

This piece of news is unquestionably confusing to the smugglers, who hadn’t anticipated this severe development.  
“Seriously? The hutts? Why?”

“Your alleged crimes are not just the death of the Silcore syndicate director, Sirai Kwa’teh and several prominent members of their organization, but attempted murder of Kemmet Vhir himself. Apparently, he’s a respected and notable ally of the hutts, who do not take kindly to such misdeeds.”

While one might expect an outburst from Lenorr, it’s Bery instead who kicks one of the nearby chairs and tosses whatever object she can find in the vicinity.  
“That fucking lying, backstabbing, shitmunching, son of a-…I’m gonna kill him!”

“Settle down”, Lenorr tries to assuage her. “Trashing this shop will not improve our dilemma.”

“…I know, I know, but I have to hit something! Argh, I just wanna strangle that sleazy schutta!”

Lenorr veers towards Acina.  
“It was Kemmet who set the whole disaster up. He tricked us to quarrel with Silcore, created chaos, had Sirai killed and destroyed the Hypertrail. He almost eliminated all of us and that was ostensibly the ploy – get both our groups killed in what would appear as a gang war.  
Fortunately, his plan went amiss, so Kemmet attempted to destroy us personally, which failed too. And now we’re being hunted as criminals.”

The Councilor strokes her hand over her chin in thought.  
“Did he give you a reason?”

“No. He did not believe we deserved any answers.”

After finally have cooled down to a moderate degree, Bery rejoins the conversation.  
“Doesn’t matter. He’s not getting away with this. If I have to hound him across the galaxy, crawl through mud and tarnish my own reputation, so be it – I _will_ be the one to put a blaster bolt into his slimy little skull.”

An enraged Bery is not an altogether uncommon notion, though it’s rare for her to practically be shaking with fury.  
“I sympathize with your rage, dear”, Acina says carefully, “that you bristle at the very thought of all that transpired, and I would undoubtedly share your reaction were I in your seat. But do you have a plan for how to accomplish this objective?”

Bery shrugs.  
“Not yet. Nothing advanced, anyway.  
We’re gonna locate a secluded spot and lay low, build our resources and information, and prepare ourselves in every conceivable way, until we track down the timeliest moment to strike.  
This won’t be easy for any of us, but we’ll do our best to establish some sort of connection to you, Riela. Can’t promise any deadline for this, though. You’ll have to be patient.”

Acina nods, though there are definitely some glimpses of disappointment.  
“Agreed. I wish you luck in your endeavors.  
If there is anything you need, anything at all, don’t hesitate to contact me. I don’t care if my credibility becomes tainted by aiding you. I won’t let them take either of you; to hell with the consequences.”

The fire of this statement does at least bring small smiles to both of the women.  
“Thank you, Riela. We feel the same”, Lenorr admits.

“Gonna miss ya, beautiful”, Bery adds.

Acina blows them both a kiss.  
“Be safe out there, both of you. I love you.”

“And we you”, says the pureblood.

Bery’s lips curl into a small smirk instead.  
“You won’t get rid of us that easily, Councilor. I won’t rest easy until I get to whisper what a nerd you are into your ear, as you enter bliss.”

Even though they are surrounded by so much chaos and apprehension, Acina emits a gentle laugh.  
“I’ll hold you to that.”

After the call finally ends, the duo looks at each other. Bery clutches Lenorr’s cybernetic hand to begin with, before she raises the other to Lenorr’s cheek, caressing her skin and one of the spurs protruding from her jaw.  
“Ready to start this journey, so we can torch every single one of these bastards, babe?”

Lenorr wraps her organic fingers around the hand at her cheek, squeezing it tenderly.  
“Always. Vhir will rue the day he ever challenged us.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _Yeah, I know this ended a bit more melancholic than most of my fics, especially compared to Shattered Hyperlanes. But that was sort of what the name meant to indicate (just like The Precipice Of Division did)._
> 
> _So yeah, this is the end of this fic. Not the end of Bery, Lenorr and Acina's story, obviously, but this particular fic. It will coincide with Silent Crack Of An Empire timeline-wise, but this one was shorter in chapters, because it had less to tell. If you wanna see what happens next, you're gonna have to wait until the story that comes after SCOAE._   
>  _Anyway, I hope you've enjoyed this story. Thanks to everyone that has read, commented and/or given kudos! I always appreciate it_


End file.
